To the Teachers of Today

I give upon you
  my most humble Thanks
    and my eternal gratitude
And as well I give
  my nocturnal sorrow
    for all the platitude

The net has worn thin
  and has begun to fray
Children falling through
below to the hard clay

On fighting a battle
  when they say
    there is no war
This is when
  we begin to see
    a teacher’s true core

For my son, I must say
  Ten Thousand times
    Thank You
Upon shoring
  The 10,000 things I
    could not do

For my daughter, I say
  again, Thank You
    for those that tried
But like any child
  there comes a day
    where the string is untied

When we have to let go
  Try to let go with love
    Maybe, the only true cure
We have to learn to let go
  when they seek their own path
    As an adult I try to now see her

 

An Ode to Teachers

To the Teachers of the Past

Upon the beginning
  there were no teachers
But that was before
  there were any creatures

They were the first
  to deal with this life
They were the ones
  to learn true strife

Searching the nitch
  Seeking the way
Showing the others
  This is how to play

Leaping the frog
  Leaping the years
Stepping the stones
  from a teacher’s tears

Almost finished school
  before a teacher found me
A class full of saplings
  under a Redwood Tree

A man of such depth
  like an iceberg
    yet he barely made a ripple
I first misjudged
  Then I saw he didn’t
    Letting people be people

On his stage
  we could dream
    Free to just be
Mr. Claypool
  I bow a Thank You
    for helping me see

To the Teachers of Tomorrow

The smallest of things
  I must ask
Comes to the approach
  for this task

Never forget
  to see as a child
Also remember
  the world is not mild

Treat each one
  as if your own
Teach all the lessons
  you were shown

Less in words
  More in the action
Show your respect
  Become not a faction

Inner Balance
  Teach and Learn
Spectral sides
  Perilous turn

Hurting with kindness
  and loving too much
Is like giving your child
  a life-long crutch

Never lie
  Give a clue
Especially kudos
  whenever due

Remember
  Everyone is a teacher
    and the world is your class
And I promise you
    a better place
    will soon come to pass

For your teachings
  your essence
    will be carried on
In the ones
  that came to you
    as a fay or a fawn

In a flat and bicolor world
  we are the ink
    you are the paper
People see words
  Memory of the roots
    begin to taper

                                    Leo Atreides