The Last Open Door

by Victor Leo Cruz

For Rosa Rakay, an amazing leader

And the incredible Lorena Ramos and Norberta Palomin

I was twenty-three

my first-year teaching

when I heard my student

was dropping out

to provide for her child

not in her custody

the first time I cried in my classroom

for some students

this alternative campus

is their last chance

blooming adults

who come to school

with empty stomachs

with matted

lice-ridden hair

with bruised faces

looking for help

you taught me how to

become a refuge

for the non-traditional student

the forgotten

the cast aside

the lost causes

how much did you give

out of your own pockets

for rent, meals, medical bills

for clothes, supplies, car repairs

how many times did you

and the office staff

struggle against

red tape, lost documents

mismanaged transcripts

CPS and police reports

nos, excuses, and

“I don’t have time”

“it’s too much”

“I can’t do it”

prayers work through

you, matriarch of the left behind

your leadership

our hands

to bring students back

fallen through the cracks

reaching out

while we give

all that we can