At the Funeral of a Former Teacher

He’d taught me twenty years before
Now suddenly he was no more
Having passed away
Following a short illness.
 
We’d stayed in touch since I’d left school
We had remained friends
And now it was strange:
We (former teachers and some ex- pupils)
 
Were gathered at his funeral.
Familiar faces I’d not seen for years
A kind of happy sadness
It was good to catch up
 
To know so many cared
Strange too to see the teachers
Looking older
And seeing old school friends.
 
I suppose in life we go
Our separate ways
And when one life ends
We reunite:  People with something-
 
Or someone- in common
(For he had touched so many lives
And many generations
Of pupils; worked with many teachers)
 
And so we met to say our final goodbyes
With hymns and tributes
To a wonderful teacher
Who will be fondly remembered by so many.
 
MDC