Hello from what was room
three-twenty-one,
Eyeing at the remnants of her
classroom,
Left time rewinding to the
mid-eighties.
Little did I know the
challenge I faced,
On the first day when I
entered her class,
Finally, I took my seat, near
the front.
Reminiscing, I can hear her
lectures,
Of what
was not just read in our textbooks,
Mostly muted intentional
advice.
Memories now remain
omnipresent,
Years later, I still listen
for her voice,
Sharing with me, one last lesson of life.
Once or maybe more than a
dozen times,
Played out in my mind, like an
endless play,
Her song and dance perfectly
synchronized.
On the first day, seconds after
roll call,
Made her guidelines clear, but
wasted no time,
Opened her first lesson with a
lecture.
Realizing she just expected
more,
Effortlessly,
she found my learning niche,
Yet, she never lowered
expectations.
Enthusiastically, she taught
each class,
Always with precision and
perfection,
Recalling every single song
and dance,
Beyond everyday lectures and
lessons,
In her excitement, she seized
my weakness,
Only guided my journey through
my strengths.
Leaving
my pride shaken with each grade earned,
On
impromptu quizzes and scheduled tests,
Grudgingly,
my approach was forced to change.
Yet, my eyes stared at this
one woman show,
Creating cherished lifetime tales to tell,
Leaving the smile, I still
wear on my heart.
After the
first week of school, I was lost,
Some more academics would have
sunk in,
Should?, could?, would?, had if I put in the time.
Wondering what I got myself
into,
I felt like a failure for the
first time,
Thinking about how I’ll tell Mom
and Dad.
Hoping and praying for
improvement daily,
Grades plummeted, but I kept coming back,
Learning today’s life’s
lessons yesterday.
Only if I kept up with her
fast pace,
Ruminating years of study
habits,
I still don't know how and where I went wrong.
As much as I tried, I
struggled each day,
My grip held on and she wasn’t
letting go,
Changing teachers was not a
choice given.
I remained immersed and fascinated,
Not just by the content she presented,
Though
she managed finding the real me.
Obstacles of my past stood in the way,
Subsequently, it seemed like time stood still,
Handing me one chance to see what I missed.
Somehow, she knew the man I
would become,
But unbeknownst to me, she
invested,
Her energy, her time and her
wisdom.
Simply, I
owe a debt of gratitude,
Between a shared hug and her
telling me,
“Better yet, pay it forward, then you’re debt free.”
