Saturday, January 5, 2008

My Three Loves

Picture from Hometown

I think a love poem might be in order today ... at least to get our minds off the winter weather for a little while.
This one is mainly about my eighth-grade teacher, who stirred an abiding interest in reading in me, but it's also about the librarian I met at another time, in another town, as a result of my interest in reading.

That librarian and I are still sharing a mutual interest in reading, and she is the one who listens patiently to the things I've written.
But, getting back to the main thread of the poem: I was so glad when I was able to visit my former teacher, Miss Pearl, a few years ago, to thank her for imparting her love for reading ... and to introduce her to that librarian, my wife, Phyllis.
The poem:


MY THREE LOVES
Could Miss Pearl have known
that her own love of reading
would so transform the life

of a hungering eighth grader
whom her gentle, healing voice
touched with daily readings?

Fragile fingers softly turning
the pages of her beloved books,
she made visions of mere words,

openings to worlds where people
could dream, hope, and achieve.
These, she told us, were worlds

where we, too, might go, in fact,
belonged. Did she know, or did she
merely dream the teacher's dream

that the tiny seeds might endure,
take root, flower? Did she know
that her devoted love of reading

would become my own, eventually
leading me to that certain library
where I would find you? How else

could she have sustained herself
through those despairing years?
Questions still seek answers,

but of this I'm sure: Her gift,
so freely given, became more dear
than I, or even she, ever dreamed.

© 2001


(originally published in Capper's)


***

Today's word: sustained

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:
You're right, Southernmush ... I certainly do owe much ... so much ... to Miss Pearl for fanning the spark of interest I had in reading ... that has stayed with me ... and helped to carry me through some difficult chapters along the way. And now I'm savoring the results of that ... sharing my poetry with those who pause to listen. That is really the icing on the cake.
Thank you, Vicki, for that comment. I was headed toward teaching, too ... or so I thought. There were a few obstacles in the way, though, and I ended up doing other things, instead ... but there were always helping hands, too ... people who showed me the way ... patient people who helped me along. I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude ... and my poetry, I suppose, is one way of paying back part of that debt.   

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello again Mr. Brimm,

I had to come by and share with you a few words. I would say that the world should certainly thank Miss Pearl for sharing with you the love of reading. I think that without Miss Pearl we....the world would NOT have you as a poet which would most certainly be a sad thing. I would like to thank Miss Pearl myself for giving you as Poet to us all. We all need more Miss Pearl's like her to bring more poets like yourself into the world.

I am certainly glad to have you as a poet in the world. What would we have if it weren't for people like Miss Pearl ? Do take care.

Anonymous said...

I agree with southernmush -- we readers owe a debt to your Miss Pearl. There were a few Miss Pearls in my own life, and they made all the difference ... so much so that I eventually earned a teaching degree of my own, hoping to follow in their footsteps. Life has, alas, lead me down other paths, but I carry with me always their love of the written word.

Vicki