Sphinx

shining knight diving under<br />falsely serene waters of mortal silence<br /><br />tears and laughter and rage she opens doors<br />lets a tiny light shine on undesirable truths in need<br /><br />enduring trembling sporadic back and forth<br />off the path and back Lots-a-lot won't let you be lost alone<br /><br />is this not the point<br /><br />In this modern epic poetry collection Moonlily an education assistant joins a classroom camping expedition up Sphinx Mountain a forbidding peak in the Ktunaxa Homelands British Columbia. An unexpected overnight snowfall and the teacher's failure to respond appropriately endanger the entire group. After a harrowing climb back down Moonlily files a feedback form outlining her concerns about the expedition.<br /><br />Instead of instigating the change she hopes to see this act of good faith plunges her into her worst nightmare making her question not just her new career in the classroom but her very sanity.<br /><br />Told through poems that weave images of knights death and trauma this story relates the heartfelt but unvarnished experiences of education assistants who work fervently every day to protect and support the most precious people in our world: children.