I Had a Teacher . . .
© 1998 – Tom A.B. Taylor

I had a teacher when I was young, she was old and I…but a kid
I can’t recall her curriculum at all, but I’ll never forget what she did
She sat us all down on a rug on the floor, while she relaxed in’er old rockin’ chair
“Once upon a time,” she always began, then she’d lead us away from there

To forests, and castles and distant lands, and characters we’d clearly see
And we sat enraptured – unnervingly still – to discover what was to be
Transported we were, to somewhere else, sans books and desks and chalk
We forgot about bells and rules and lunch, and listened, enthralled, to her talk

She taught us of courage, taught us of fear, and taught what it meant to do right
She taught us of hope, love and sharing – and Things that go Bump in the Night
She taught us Life Lessons for Living, as natural as sweet songbirds sing
She taught us Most Important Lessons, and we never suspected a thing

A thousand years have come and gone, it feels, since I sat upon that floor
And now at night, in dreams it seems…she’s come to tell me one more…
Th’ new kids on the block now tell me I’m old…the Bible says gray hair is a glory
Be that as it may, I just want to say: I love – and miss – my Teacher . . .
Who Loved to Tell us a Story . . . .



© 1998 – Tom A.B. Taylor