Remembering a Retired Teacher

You welcomed the young with open arms,

They who hailed from far across some farms;

Like the Lorelie, you lured them with your charms,

Hidden behind a friendly smile that warms.

Like a first born daughter or son,

You valued each child's life second to none;

Of their precious health, you were the guardian,

With better nourishment, you acquainted everyone.

You developed their fluency in the language,

And moulded them into little stars on the stage;

In competition, you gave them courage,

And harnessed their skills to their advantage.

Sports, you never set aside at all,

Hence you also taught them tricks with the ball;

To break the monotony of facing the wall,

You seasoned their life with experience outside the hall.

You did not fail to give scouting a space,

By training the little ones to survive in many ways;

To discern which value to embrace,

And enjoy life in the open, or in another place.

Sweet were your memories of every December,

The times when you and the kids spent Christmas together;

From you, they learned to give and to remember,

To them, you were friend, their "Santa" or gift-giver.

You were never selfish of your cooperation,

To the community or any organization;

You extended your services without hesitation,

Unmindful of the return or compensation.

In every school project or undertaking,

You did your part without complaining;

You believed that every good thing is worth doing,

You did well inspite of the meager wage you were receiving.

When each school year came to its end,

You, let go of the flock that you tend;

They're sad to leave, but with no broken heart to mend,

'Cause everyone, to the next grade you send.

So it came to pass, each year went slipping through your fingers,

Each briefest hours went winging with children's laughters;

Until one morn you bid farewell to your co-workers,

To join the clan of the retired teachers.

You retired from services but not from teaching,

Cause you rose from your ashes after a moment of dying;

This time, with Catechism, you go on preaching,

The mission to spread truth, you never cease loving.

You proved that "once a teacher, always a teacher",

Your loyalty lingers like a flickering ember;

To you, goodbye is not forever,

But only an interlude of now and thereafter.

by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

Once There Was a Mother

Once, there was a mother,
A gentle, jolly mother;
Each day I loved her better,
To me there could be no other.


Like merry birds that sing,
Her mellow voice would ring;
Pep songs in the morning,
Lullabys in the evening.

Each early Christmas night,
She's light the lanterns bright;
Then a verse she would recite,
While I listened with delight.

But one lonely afternoon,
My young heart she left to mourn;
She was gone like silent moon,
That stalls away at break of dawn.

By: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

Noknok

When the earth is dark and calm,
And all the birds are home;
Settled closely on the palm,
Watching the grass owls roam;

A shadow will disappear,
From the door by the rear.
The moon coyly rises up,
And beams over the daisy

Father idly takes his cup,
And snore before the TV;
While his sneaky little lad,
Dips his barefoot in the mud.

Look for him in the meadow,
You'll find in the pond;
Biting a leaf of coco,
With a snail in his hand;

Coax him to hurry to bed,
He'll only shake his head.
He'll come home when Venus burns,
And fall asleep on the stair;

His ankles plastered with ferns,
And dewdrops sit on his hair;
He'll dream of bugs and berries,
Till earth lifts up her chalice.




by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

Genee Marie

She grew up to the rhythm of the waves,
Of the singing winds and the rustling leaves;
She breathed the fragrance of the ocean breeze,
That swept across the sun kissed southern seas;

For her home stood by the sand-laden shore,
With talisay canopy by its door.
She may journey far but will not forget,
How the prickly sand grains with dewdrops wet;

Clutched at her soft little feet as she rolled,
Over the earth with gray carpets unfurled;
And there, the briefest hour went winging through,
With smell of seaweeds on her sole and toe.

She will always vividly remember,
The cold August morns when rain drenched her hair;
The scent of shells she picked and kept so well,
And all the things to which she bade farewell;

When on that fair June day she took her leave,
With youth's memories clinging to her sleeve





by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

That Garden

In the tender morning of my life,
I walked that garden with delight;
And there, I adored you, teacher dear,
Indeed, you rivaled the flowers fair.

There, I beheld you in wild envy,
And dreamed to be like you someday;
For knowledge, you have made my mind yearn,
And my heart, with fascination burn.

So fondly I watched with face aglow,
As you unfurled the mystery of the rainbow;
While the happy fleeting butterflies
Peeped at the secrets before their eyes.

Then came the day I left quite suddenly,
And traced a path I have not forsaken
The hours of splendor in that garden.




by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento