My Favourite Teacher

“The teacher is called from the deep. He carries you on his shoulders so you can see beyond the shrivelled meadow.” - Quote by Poet Though I had left high school, I took him along with me, His memory lingered with me, I carried him in a notebook, As I turn each page I see him, As I go through each topic he stands with me, A man of insight and foresight, He knows his onions too well, He lives and breathes the subject he teaches, It runs through his vessels, He calls it his air, He takes one step at a time, He says that there’s no need to rush, He lays the foundation, He also lays the blocks in a painstaking bonding, He waters the parched ground, He strengthens feeble boughs, He stirs the sleeping waters, Behind his strict facade is a compassionate stream. Though it’s been decades since I left high school, His name still rings a bell, His nuggets aid me in tunnelling through the night, His advice has been a bridge for me over troubled waters, He often said, “You don’t know the importance of a tree until life takes you through a desert.” I now understand those words better, They now make so much sense to me, Though we have been separated by time, I'm glad that I’m able to write a tribute to him. September 22, 2024.