"The Teacher"

“A well-read mind is like an oyster, it has the ability to produce pearls of wisdom from grains of sand.”


They listened to her, rapt with attention.
Taking in the coat of fake fur, & the face lined with tension.
She was their new teacher,
This frail, mouse-like creature.


Though her appearance was neat & tidy, her wispy brow hair & dark old clothes,
Spoke of relentless poverty, & of shabby houses along dingy roads.
Such was the appearance of their new teacher,
This poverty-ridden, tidy creature.
But when she spoke, she seemed to rise tall.
On & on her strong voice would drone. Beneath her wisdom, her humble roots seemed to fall.
So bright was the personality of their new teacher,
This wise & intelligent creature.


She taught them that it’s okay to blunder, as long as they learnt from it & moved on.
They were filled with joy & wonder, when she taught them of the hope brought in by each new dawn 
 She was optimism personified, their new teacher,
So full of wise words was this strange creature.


But all that was ten years ago; that class had long since graduated.
And yet, none of them ever made a foe, hence the virtues of their teacher never faded.
Such was the inspiration she gave them, their new teacher,
She made thirty children soulful, this immortal creature.


And so, when she passed away in her sleep, her former students came rushing at breakneck speed.
The sorrow for them was too great & deep, that she lived on in their memories, but from the mortal world she was freed.
Such was the story of their new teacher,
She, who’s now a spirit & no longer a creature!