Test Time Turmoil Bent over The unyielding white Of ignorance My students grapple.      My challenges      Hurt some deeply.      Every problem      Can seem      Beyond their grasp. I want them to stretch As far as they can And not break.      The snap      Hurts me too,      Like a rubberband      Tug-of-war breaking. I too wish There were some easy way To make the thinking of math Their very own. They want rote And regurgitation, And I refuse to let Them vomit on my tests. A rocky cliff, They pound against me, And I tire of being hard. Let me erode slowly For them.