Coco

because i was exhausted and cranky 
and it was too late in the week to be walking home 
and because texas was threatening to rain all over us, especially me. 

You see the teacher standing at the front of the room —

Organized. Patient. Smiling like she has all the answers.

What you don’t see is the stack of bills on her kitchen counter,

Or the nights she stays awake wondering

Oh, no, I’m not here

For a reason.

It’s an almost comforting thing

The fleck of light of a chance

The infinite things

That had to go right.

If I were a different person