Sitting
On my knees
At a school
In Honduras
Sweating
One drop
Two drops
Three drops
Making a meandering trail
Down my neck
Burning
Too much sun
My sleeves
Rolled up
However
My hands
Holding that talc-like blue chalk
Steady
Unwavering
Sketching
One line
Two lines
Three lines
Of Winnie
Piglet
Eeyore
For the children
Because those are the only
Cartoon characters
That they know
I sketch
On that green wall
Of the kindergarten
So hot
And so exhausting
Everyday
One day
Two days
Three days
But then
Here they come
The children
With smiles
So big
They make me feel like a queen
Now, my work
Doesn’t feel so hard
They come up
“Que bonita!” they say
One child
Two children
Three children
They have so little
But have so many smiles
And then
Once my mural is finished
And my lines are filled in
With paint
One kiss
Two kisses
Three kisses
For Winnie
Piglet
Eeyore
Red
Pink
Blue
All with colorful painted butterflies
On their beautiful noses
I sign my name
In small blocky letters
Underneath my masterpiece
And sigh with satisfaction
Because I know it’ll be there
For years to come
And when we come back
It’ll be here
Waiting
Faded with age
But still here
With the children
Now it’s time to leave
And they cry
When I say good-bye
One tear
Two tears
Three tears