Cabinet of Apostles
Who was Victoria Leigh Soto aside from a passionate educator?
The saint who gave her life to those younger forfeiting that which belonged to her
A real-life hero, entirely selfless, was she from earth or some other place?
No matter what any news reporters tell us, human or divinity, possessed God’s grace
As the tragedy commenced, the class finished their last snack time
On the rug they sat; legs crossed, munching crackers, slurping juice
Their ears absorbing a prophetic nursery rhyme
Hearing booms, bangs, and shouts of distress ringing through the halls
This patron teacher, acting as a shepherd, guided a pack of first graders to salvation
Tucking the students away in her cabinets as though they were dolls
The shots fired and gunman gone, they accepted that Ms. Soto had left them for now
Coming out of the cabinets her students were rejuvenated
Standing three feet tall and sober from their size five shoes to their brow
Showing no emotion and not shedding a tear
These children towered over a nation that bent over and cried
For only they last shared the juice and crackers with their teacher
For this reason they weren’t devastated like the rest by a oxymoron that she’d died
Amidst the calamity in the darkness of the cabinets, her apostles had been born
Constantly hammered by her, they recognized prayer and action as top priorities
Taught that the last should be to mourn
Twenty years from now there will be weddings and conceptions
Belonging to the boys and girls she once saved
Seven years old, then, and all this time later
They’ve arrived at Ms. Soto’s dying age
She hadn’t the chance to forgo those endeavors
Her dreams of a husband and baby were waved
She was called home to live vicariously through her pupils
As they traveled the lifelong road in front of them she’d posthumously paved
Lives were taken from adults and children on this somber day in December
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was confounding nationwide
Heartbreak such as this one will always be remembered
The ballad of Victoria Leigh Soto is an inspiration to us all
If humans were measured on bravery and morality
In comparison to this bodhisattva, there would be none as tall
An avatar of Vishnu, Christ reincarnated, Quan Yin, Mahdi
Or simply a human gift from God sacrificed for the families of her class
She many have been any depending upon ones religious beliefs
Nonetheless she was a savior who did her duties and whose time had come to pass
The apostles that emerged from the obscurity of the cabinets
Graduating college in 2028, will not have forgotten their first grade teacher
No matter where they go or what they do in their lives
Ms. Soto’s grace exist within them so that her students will always be her preachers
