Seeing him as if for the first time
Taking command of the situation
So obviously in his element
Telling us his questions to answer
Then calling on each of us in turn
Keeping the responses on track
Turning his eightieth birthday party
Into a kind of classroom
He didn’t know we would be there
A large group waiting to surprise him
But he took the unexpected in stride
Surprising us with a learning experience
Projecting his voice making eye contact
Like a mental muscle memory
This former teacher held our attention
With his impromptu lesson plan
Teaching us in his well practiced way
Drawing out the many varied responses
And I got a sense of what it was like
Being his student years ago
He left us all uplifted
Inspired by his enthusiasm
Learning from listening to him
And hearing from each other
