Irish Sense of Beauty
Meeting people left and right
Holding on to who I am so tight
I walk into her class
“She’s so mean. She’s so cruel”
“Children’s tears, that’s her fuel”
I ignored what they would say
And by doing so it paid
I walked into her class
Someone so “strange”
But I didn’t know this would lead me to a change
The way she dressed
The way she spoke
The way she moved
The way she looked
Dressed in slacks
Never skirts
Never dresses
Around the room, there were always messes
She spoke loud
With a voice quite deep
And if not careful,
Sounded harsh- would make students weep
She walked swiftly
As if to wear a cape
As if from her fears,
She wanted to escape
Rarely a smile would appear on her face
What was peculiar was that she had expensive taste
For she seemed to not be about style
But about substance
And intellect
But conversing with her more
Sympathy grew as
I began to detect
Interesting observations that may lead one to suspect
That sometime in her life, her happiness was bereaved
Without truly knowing her…
They hated her
They said she was mean
They said she looked like Buzz Light-year
They said she was lesbian
And me?
What can I say?
I’d have to see her every single day!
At first, I wasn’t sure what to feel
I never liked spite and wanted to help others heal
But sometimes it was clear to see
That, although she said I was her favorite,
She chose other students over me
She was shifting all the time
Like the economic graphs she teaches us
And if she ever, somehow reads this rhyme,
She’ll know who she is
But I want you and her (if she reads this) to continue with what I have to say for this is not the end…
I have never met anyone like her
She wasn’t like the other female teachers I had before
Who wore jewelry and smiles and grace and more
She was distant and guarded
And at times, I tried to break her wall
I thought she was beautiful with her Irish or Scottish or Canadian sense of beauty
But from her throne, she did fall
I often wondered how she was when she was young
Because she seemed like a woman who robbed herself of beauty
I told her several times that I really loved her smile
And I realized I enjoyed getting to know her all the while
And in accordance to character, she was passive about my genuine compliments
I’m not sure when it started
Maybe when I would voluntariy speak to her after school
Or attend tutoring
But through time I began to see
That it was not just her
It was also me
Who transcended the state
In which we would often be
Opening my heart to her and this new experience
And her doing the same
This is where the change came
Time is slowly making a way
Where now that I see her each day,
Initial unease
Is transforming into a breeze
Differences are leading to discovery
Discovery of another unlike me
And as the wings of time fly
I must confess that I
Find more similarities each time we interact
I sense a friendship will grow and blossom
Like flowers in the time of spring
I find renewal for what each day brings
Such as this year with my dear teacher
Who has impacted me with the true experience of diversity
Better preparing me for my journey to a university
Such will benefit me
For as I am meeting people left and right
Holding on to who I am so tight
There’s no doubt I’ll come across someone like her again