The children huddle around Georgette,
\npressing against her
\nlike violets burrowing under moss.<\/p>\n
Eleven little ones.
\nJackie says, \u201cI\u2019m cold,\u201d and Caroline, \u201cIt\u2019s horrible here.\u201d
\nWhat is ugly is their temporary housing being torn down
\none dwelling after another.
\nFrom the bottom of their hearts, the children hate this place.
\nThey\u2019ve always been cold here, it\u2019s always been dirty.
\nEven the few flowers families have planted seem forlorn.
\nBut today it\u2019s worse than ever.
\nIn the place of each demolished home, its outline still visible,
\nis an empty space with
\na heap of rubbish, rotting boards,
\nand rusty, twisted metal.<\/p>\n
The children are afraid of this world.
\nNo wonder they hate it!
\nThankfully, they have Mum and Dad, their brothers and sisters,
\neven if at times it seems hard to love them.
\nLuckily, there are the pets,
\nthe cats and dogs they are fond of, however scrawny.
\nAnd thankfully, they have Georgette.<\/p>\n
In this strange world, amidst all this disarray,
\nGeorgette has kept the nursery school open,
\nforever striving to do better.
\nEvery morning, she goes from home to home,
\nskirting the rubbish and the rubble
\nthat\u2019s taking on an air of permanence.
\nShe picks up every child at their home,
\nAnd waits for each one to get ready,
\nif needed helping their mother dress them.
\nShe consoles little Rosita who\u2019s fearful of leaving home,
\nterrified of so much destruction
\nthat she knows is dangerous.
\nA heavy board fell on her little brother\u2019s foot,
\nand he\u2019s confined to bed.<\/p>\n
For Georgette,
\nall eleven children
\nmust be there, every day.
\nShe won\u2019t see a single one of them left out.
\nShe will not have them live such misery tomorrow
\nas they are living today.
\nGeorgette often says,
\n\u201cAll this chaos mustn\u2019t dull their minds.
\nThey must keep getting together.
\nThis reassures them.
\nThis children\u2019s space has to be beautiful,
\nmore beautiful than ever, and properly heated.\u201d
\nBut it\u2019s not easy.
\nThis week, the shack adjoining the children\u2019s nursery was demolished
\nand in the nursery some of the plaster has fallen away.
\nShe says, \u201cThe children should have more nourishing snacks.
\nWe cannot let them be traumatised by the destruction of their world\u201d.<\/p>\n
She can be seen walking through the housing scheme
\nthey have been demolishing for months now.
\nSurrounded by the little children, Georgette seems even taller
\nas they walk together
\ndown neighbouring streets
\nwhere nothing has changed.
\nWhere trees grow tall and healthy,
\nand where the flowers continue to bloom.<\/p>\n
At year\u2019s end, Georgette has met the challenge.
\nDespite the bulldozers, despite the demolition, despite the fear,
\ntests show that not a single child
\nhas failed to develop their intelligence.
\nAnd those old enough are enrolled in pre-school.<\/p>\n
Will these children ever remember Georgette?
\nWill they look back on the imagination,
\ntenderness and courage she has summoned
\nto keep them above the chaos surrounding them?<\/p>\n
They may forget her,
\nbut such love is never in vain.
\nSoon, they\u2019ll be men and women,
\nand if ever they run into her again,
\nthey might say,
\n\u201cShe\u2019s the woman who got us to love school.\u201d<\/p>\n
All this because someone went beyond their disgust and fear,
\nfired by their sense of outrage and revolt\u2026
\nto love even more.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The children huddle around Georgette, pressing against her like violets burrowing under moss. Eleven little ones. Jackie says, \u201cI\u2019m cold,\u201d (…) Read more