To My English Teacher Poem by Mariam de Haan

It's funny how a phrase can change everything.
How one person made this all begin.

I remember that day clearly
He gave me back my paper
One of my first attempts at poetry,
And said to me;
"Don't stop writing."
From then on I slowly became a writer.

They say teachers give you knowledge
You gave us so much more.
Amongst the walls full of words
In your classroom,
I found such inspiration
I wrote and forgot to listen.
Sorry about that.

In your classroom
There was no box to think in
It was just words and your interpretation.
I remember when I was explaining
That Douglas' "Behaviour of Fish in an Egyptian Tea Garden"
Was about a stripper in a strip club.
Your reaction was to smile and listen.

In your classroom
Voice became a weapon.
I learned the importance of my opinion
That your truth makes you an individual
Put it on a pedestal
Only you should raise it or let it fall.
Be influenced by others but don't let them control.

In your classroom
The dead men turned living
Their words on paper started breathing.

In your classroom
Poems had a heart that was beating
And we found them through reading
Dissecting deep within
Through tone, imagery and setting.
After hours of excavating
We would see the heart finally.
The same words that blocked our vision
That caused our confusion
Became our friends
Took our hands
And pushed us to the end of the horizon.
So we could see clearly.

Thank you
For introducing me to Blake, Hughes, Owen and Rumi
For teaching me that everything is poetry
Even "Lose yourself" by Eminem.

Thank you Mr. Wright.
For all that you taught
For your patience as I learnt
For saying that phrase
For being there so that all this could begin
For making me a lover of words.