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Ave Dailey, Educator, RRISD

 



Ave

As in Ave Maria

Means to hail

And ain't that a praisesong?


I was in the choir back in the day

Sang often

Both school and church

The music was always stronger than the message for me

Passing time humming a melody

While tying shoes or washing dishes

Or listening to the songs that captured my struggles

Songs can give direction

How we wade in the water

And follow the drinking gourd

Singing

Of miracles

Of power

While feeling powerless

Songs that made us not feel so alone

That's usually when we talk to God

When we both are and feel alone

How I was at a point in life talking to God Daily


Ave Dailey


The first person that saw God in me

Cause ain’t God love?


She was the first mother I acknowledged

After I lost my own

Calling me daughter

Let me know I was still loved in a world that so often feels like hell

Hail Ave

Is a Hail Mary

And I'm not a killer but don’t push me

But I allowed her to push me

I was the longshot with little chance of success

It was a TORCH that was passed

One blessed and highly favored

Right on time


Or


Ave.

Like avenue 

Setting me down a path to shine 

Not worry about those that are blinded

Like the stars at night

Big and bright

**** Deep in the heart of Texas where everything is bigger

Like her heart, her patience, her love

She was a master teacher

She was my mentor

Is still my mentor and is still teaching

Standing on my shoulder as conscience

Just as I stood on her shoulders to learn

She lifted me high enough to see the worth in my gifts

High enough to take flight like Aves

High enough to see myself as royalty

Your high-ness

And I wasn’t even smoking back then

We’d teach by creating experiences

She taught world cultures and world history

While I taught English

Fluent in AAVE

I be

A confession

And these poems be gospel

And ain't that an undeniable and unquestionable truth?


Truth.

God shows favor to those expressing remorse for their sins

Not checking on her as I should is the sin

Distancing

Still afraid of losing another mother

So I repent

And I pick up my phone









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