Unexpected Poetry
Dedicated to Dr. John Lewis
A faded green volume falls open in his hand,
Cradling the book with the tips of his fingers,
He intones, Herein lies the beginnings of Man:
Of Thought, of Reason! And here, he lingers.
Reciting the essence of poets long past,
His eyes smiling with a knowing regard;
Time, onto which the passages cast
Light, once dismissed as dark and hard.
Effortlessly finding the work of his desire;
Feathery pages belie their own true weight.
His oration delivered with glee and with fire –
Virtue! The Archaic Greeks did contemplate!
But some subtler poetry lies in his reverent look,
And tenderness for his slender, well-loved book.
A faded green volume falls open in his hand,
Cradling the book with the tips of his fingers,
He intones, Herein lies the beginnings of Man:
Of Thought, of Reason! And here, he lingers.
Reciting the essence of poets long past,
His eyes smiling with a knowing regard;
Time, onto which the passages cast
Light, once dismissed as dark and hard.
Effortlessly finding the work of his desire;
Feathery pages belie their own true weight.
His oration delivered with glee and with fire –
Virtue! The Archaic Greeks did contemplate!
But some subtler poetry lies in his reverent look,
And tenderness for his slender, well-loved book.
Comments
I'm glad you liked it. The meter leaves a little to be desired in some spots and I took some liberties using a modern philosophy, but my intent was to show the teacher's passion for his subject and a small physical way that was conveyed. I think I was able to do that.
It was a great class.
He was the inspiration, but I wrote it for me and liked it enough to want to share here (there, and everywhere).