Written for dVerse Poetics Tuesday –
To Ma’am/Sir. Our host, Punam, asks
us to write a poem about our teachers.
Hands resting on the keys, two worlds apart ….
the piano’s felt and wire, the organ’s heart
of wooden pipes and pedals at my feet ….
where rhythm, breath, and obligation meet.
I claimed the hours slipped away like sand,
no time to practice, none at my command.
My teacher paused, then met my quiet gaze,
and anchored truth into those fleeting days:
“You have all there is,” his simple words ….
the sharpest, quietest lesson ever heard.
No clever shelter left where I could hide,
just piano keys and organ pipes inside.
From bench to bench, the answer grew quite clear:
we make the time we give to what’s held dear.
The music does not wait for spare time found;
we choose the silence, or we choose the sound.
NAR©2026
This is “Clocks” by Coldplay
Everything on the elephant trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicate, and may not be used without permission. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 