DESTINATIONS - From There To Here and Here To There
FIELD TRIP
He was
A very good teacher.
You could say
The very best.
He made his subject
Come alive
Unlike
Some of the rest.
Students vied
To take his class.
He cared
Deeply
What he taught.
He showed them
The ways
Of civilizations past
What time
To each
Had brought.
Dug from barren lands
Of dirt
Beneath ashes sown
The merits
Of a people
And their failures
Are quickly
Known.
Simple things
Of everyday life
Complex things
Of Death
He held in his hands
For all
To see
Of those who
Once
Drew breath.
Field trip over
They understood
Life is
Not a game.
With wings unfurled
They all
Floated forth
To the silver craft
From whence they came.
Seven pairs
Of golden eyes
Looked back
At their history lesson
Its message
And its worth.
One more thing
The teacher told them
Sadly
They used to
Call it
Earth.
PAT REEVES
(C)September 17, 2002
Perhaps one day others from some far off world,
alien civilization will see the beauty of what we
humans let slip through our fingers.
I wonder if we will ever learn.