Not Just Another Prof, Unabridged Version

The september I met him remains etched in my mind I sat in class awaiting explanation that never came One by one minutes rolling by ever so slowly I surmised he’d been a burn victim I wondered when it happened How old he would have been How he suffered How he healed How he could now be so nonchalant Over my inner spiel I didn’t hear a word he said I was consumed in wait with unanswered questions Then I spent the second half of class feeling stupid Regretting the meddlesome monologue in my head It was three hours of my life I would never get back Really… how was it any of my business? It was way back in those prehistoric days Before the internet was full blown Nowadays a simple google search Would have produced a newspaper article Instantly unravelling the mystery I shook my head good and hard all week Before returning to my second class with him He never spoke about the elephant in the room It boggled my mind why I expected he ever would In a short time I became enchanted With the magnificence of this man’s soul He was a cultured learned gentle man A poet possibly a genius He was ordained to touch lives To shake and rattle foundations Disentangle paradigms A transcendent grace exuded From his every word His every glance AP: 1st place 2022, 3rd place 2021 Submitted on October 6, 2019 for contest FAVORITE PROFESSOR sponsored by CHANTELLE ANNE COOKE - RANKED 1ST and on September 13, 2024 for contest MY FAVORITE TEACHER sponsored by KAREN JONES