My Universe
written by: Jenny Morelli
No one ever talks
about the empty space that exists
between the ethereal tug of sleeping late
of being still
of needing a little space
in a world full of so much spinning
and not enough calm.
It’s that empty space
where purpose lies, where all
the what ifs point toward an answer.
It’s the reason
so many teachers retire
only to return to what they know
because the unknown
fell flat.
We only think
we want to sleep late
and do nothing all day before heading
back to bed.
No one ever talks
about the empty space
full of laughing, loving children
who greet us each day
with smiles,
with hugs, with
a whirling dervish energy
only kids can provide, an energy
like fuel
to keep us going,
to keep us coming back,
to keep us
staying longer
than we thought possible.
Most are physically incapable
of imagining the true scale of what we do
and how we do it
under so much
stress, but we just smile
like it’s an easy thing when really,
we should give each other pats on the back.
Yes, this job
is a lonely profession.
Yes, this job is so much more
than just a job. Yes, I wonder each day
how I made it this far. Yes,
I ask myself
how many more years
before I can retire. I never
thought of this as my calling.
There must have been a planetary parade
some time between my birth
and the day I said
yeah, sure,
I’ll give this teaching thing a try,
and at some point, that empty-spaced whim
did become a calling,
a purpose,
a reason to get out of bed,
after so long spinning in the empty space
of my nebulous twenties
and not knowing
what to do
with my life,
it was beautiful
to see the first glimpse
of a second home with kids
who call me mom. What an outrageous
universe I found.
- Real’s Not Real - October 24, 2025
- My Universe - October 9, 2025
- The Pages of My Life - June 30, 2025
