Teacher's Diary Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

Someday in life
you will find me....
in those classrooms we sat
we studied together
we prayed and sang together
we shared puzzles and stories
we laughed and played together
we were students
in schools, in colleges
and everywhere we met
we identified ourselves as friends;
then as fate drove its wheels
far and wide we traveled
and again I sat in classrooms
but this time as a teacher
they were the students
they did everything we did
studied, laughed,
sang and prayed
we even played together;
every child reminded me
of you, my past friends,
yet I never missed you
cause I felt I was a student myself
the classroom was there,
the chalkboard was there
only I was writing, explaining;
I was doing everything
with the same dedication
our teachers offered to us;
yet I never missed you all
for those students and their eagerness
to learn and progress kept me involved;
their participation and competition
was far more greater than ours
cause in those times
when we heard our teachers
speak or read we listened silently
and did our home work less diligently
as we felt it was imposed on us;
but these students who sat
in front of me looked at me
as if they were looking in a mirror
they wanted the reflection of my thoughts
to enter through their minds,
they wanted to be as wise as me
but I knew they could never be me
though they tried hard;
for I was distinct
I was sentimental, emotional
as I connected with them by heart
and all they sought
was a mental connection with me
so that they could get great results;
their report cards were so graceful
they always obtained good grades.
And as they grew with time and class
they passed and left for better prospects
and life ahead;
they forgot me and I forgot them
as new ones came and sat
on those chairs and desks.
Finally, when I retired
and came home to rest,
every teacher, every student
keep appearing before my eyes
perhaps because they think of me
perhaps because they recollect
of the knowledge I shared with them;
and though we may never meet
each other again
as all of us have parted ways
but when you will cross
that door of heaven someday,
you will find me sitting
with a little book in hand
and in that book will be your name.