Honor the spirit of teachers
that walk the dark mountainside
and the mysterious paths of learning
their dim lanterns
lighting the way for those that follow.
Teachers who beckon us from our darkest hiding places;
teachers that demand;
those that create space for our answers;
those that destroy our touchstones and landmarks,
forcing us to find our own way.
The counselor teachers
sitting at the courts of power,
whispering to kings and potentates,
who see nothing
beyond the halls of their golden palaces.
Honor the sorrows that teach us compassion and gratitude;
triumphs that teach us of transience and time;
and the great adversaries that teach us of the limits of power.
Teachers that lift us with their joyous spirits;
or invite suffering into their lives
if it bring understanding.
The lessons of our ancestors
learned in stories and carried in our genes;
memories in muscle,
spirit molded in flesh.
Teachers that see our gifts,
even as we deny them
as Peter denied Jesus three times
in his fear and his shame.
Teachers who plant seeds of learning
that come to life
long after they are gone.
Those that live in caves and on mountaintops,
in small villages,
on the edge of lost rivers;
who know the secrets of plants
the mysteries of the forest and the beginnings of time.
Teachers that heal;
those surrounded by books;
and those surrounded by the infinite incarnations of nature.
Those that teach
with the example of their own lives,
whether glorious and acclaimed,
or unknown and unresolved.
Teachers that wield a harsh hand
with their lessons hard won;
The lessons of war
learned again and again
by each generation.
The great teachers: Life, Death, and Love;
As the blank page teaches possibility,
the teacher within,
whose voice comes to us in the moments before dreams;
the teacher who loves us so well,
sitting quietly in the noise of our lives,
the teacher who waits patiently,
not touched by our stories and illusions,
reveals all things;
as we surrender completely
to our own voice,
our own greatness.
Honor the teacher.
© 2007 Pete Reilly