why i love middle schoolers

Sometimes things happen that make you realize why you love certain things and why you choose to do the things you do. Today I was reminded why I chose to teach Middle Schoolers.

It was my last day student teaching. I left for 2 minutes to go to the bathroom. When I come back, the entire class had moved to stand on the left side of the room.
"What's going on...?" I asked quite awkwardly.

"This is our awkward way of telling you 'Thankyou'." said the boy that I thought wasn't too fond of me.

We all bent over in laughter.

"When music affects us to tears, seemingly causeless, we weep not... from excess of pleasure; but through excess of an impatient, petulant sorrow that, as mere mortals, we are as yet in no condition to banquet upon those supernal ecstasies of which the music affords us merely a suggestive and indefinite glimpse."

-Poe, the death-dwelling, musically inspired, beauty-seeking, opium-driven gentleman of the 19th century

probably the first paragraph in a chapter of some book i might one day write, maybe

It was the time of day when you wouldn't know, upon looking at the sun, if it was dawn or dusk. It was the type of evening when everything seemed fresh and new, even the birds were singing as if they had a day yet to live. But the memories of the day reminded her what time it was, and she was saddened by the truth that the day she had been looking forward to had ended. How another day could give her the same joy she had felt that day, she doubted to be possible.

I am tired of worthless trends
and making man your ultimate end.
Take off your headphones, and stop.
maybe quit running and just walk
to enjoy the details of my nature
and the fullness of my heart.

You've become too familiar with this world
All I want is your heart.
I'll do what I have to do
to get you to see me.