Killing Aphids, Listening to Impeachment Hearings

I have been awake for hours--but have I been writing?  No, I've been grading.  It's that time of the term.  I am caught up--but I will only be caught up for a day or two.  It's that time of the term.

But let me also note--I wrote a poem yesterday.  Yesterday I was watering the plants in the butterfly garden at school.  I noticed that 2 of the milkweed plants had aphids on them, so I spent some time killing them by rubbing them off the leaves.  Their dying stained my fingers bright yellow, even after I washed my hands.

This line came to me:  On the last day of the impeachment hearings, I kill the aphids on the milkweed plants.  I played with it off and on throughout the day, and eventually a poem came together.  Last night, I submitted it to the weekly Poets Respond (to the news) feature run by Rattle.

Today I don't have time to linger at my desk--I'm going in early to help with a PAC meeting at school.  I will stop and get the fruit platter and treats, and then I will help set up.  I will stay for the meeting, and I will hope that the clean up goes quickly.

And then it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving:  what to read, what projects to work on--the what to eat part is already decided.