The Legacy of Mr. Moore
from time
to time
over the years
I’ve thought of
Mr. Moore
and his gentle nature
he was one of my favorite
teachers
of all time
he never taught me math
or English
or history
or science
or Spanish
or health
or how to hit a ball
or score a point
or make a meal
he taught me instead
patience
he would sit over there
on the passenger side
and calmly guide me
onto the roadway
I loved to make him laugh
so I’d purposely step on the gas
to get his reaction
he always laughed
and tried to scold me
with a straight face
we laughed a lot
together
with me behind the wheel
and him hitting the brake
now
it makes me cry when I think of him
sitting over there so patient
and encouraging
and calm
he had that Mr. Rogers vibe about him
he was so kind
to all of us
none of us really knew what we were doing
but he could see our potential
I’ve been thinking of Mr. Moore a lot
of late
as I sit on the passenger seat
pressing my foot to the floorboard
like he did
I’m not quite as calm
as Mr. Moore
but I think he’d be proud of me
and definitely proud of her
she got her learner’s permit Tuesday
and by 6:15am the next morning
she was driving me all the way
to the MALL
I cannot put into words how that felt
I lie awake at night thinking
maybe I dreamed that
alas
time moves on
and on
and on
when I click my seatbelt
into place
I smile
and think of Mr. Moore
he was all about safety first
talked a lot about it
and I’d just laugh
and hit the gas
my daughter and I
are like hyenas
thumping along
to her music
through every neighborhood
in town
Mr. Moore never played music
when he was teaching
but I feel like
he’s in the backseat
laughing along with us
enjoying the beat
with his seatbelt
firmly in place
TL