Poem-A Teacher

The afternoon bell rang brightly..
With purposeful strides and a grim countenance
The dusty door creaked open and
He was here

His narrow lips pursed tightly
on a face where a smile was forbidden
Nodding solemnly at each sullen face
He was here.

Gone was the hustle and bustle of earlier.
Gone was the dynamism of those teenagers.
He was here.

The greeting came and went.
and the class descended into stony silence.
He smiled with a tinge of irony
as the sight before him stirred his memory.

It was just a decade ago when he sat there.
Once a nightmare to teachers,
the wheels of fate had spun in reverse
and the promise he made was finally fulfilled.