Mrs. Ziegler
“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.”
Dalai Lama.
I am nine years old
And our family
Is moving next week
From Cascade, Montana
To St. Augustine, Florida,
The oldest city
In the United States,
Where my father
Will teach art
For a living.
Now seventy years later
I can still see Mrs. Ziegler
Standing in front of the class,
Her flowery orange dress,
Draped to her ankles,
Interwoven with black orchids,
As if in the mind of a small boy
It is almost Halloween,
Her smiling face looks out
Upon the class
With motherly love,
Gazing slowly
At the empty seats,
Surveying in her mind
Who is missing.
The Death of the Poet Refaat Alareer
Poet, writer, professor, teacher
Beloved by your students
Your body, your family’s bodies,
And the bodies of your sister’s family
Lie buried beneath Gaza City rubble.
Your poem “If I Must Die”
Read and heard
By millions worldwide
Will forever be a testament.
To your courage and dignity.
Victor Henry's poetry and prose poems have appeared in small press magazines, anthologies, and e-zines, such as Slipstream; The Paterson Literary Review; Nobody Gets Off The Bus: The Viet Nam Generation Big Book; Vietnam War Poetry; The Homestead Review; Red River Review; The Monterey Poetry Review; The Porter Gulch Review; Dead Snakes; and Misfitmagazine, among others. His book of Vietnam poetry, What They Wanted, was published by Future Cycle Press.
“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.”
Dalai Lama.
I am nine years old
And our family
Is moving next week
From Cascade, Montana
To St. Augustine, Florida,
The oldest city
In the United States,
Where my father
Will teach art
For a living.
Now seventy years later
I can still see Mrs. Ziegler
Standing in front of the class,
Her flowery orange dress,
Draped to her ankles,
Interwoven with black orchids,
As if in the mind of a small boy
It is almost Halloween,
Her smiling face looks out
Upon the class
With motherly love,
Gazing slowly
At the empty seats,
Surveying in her mind
Who is missing.
The Death of the Poet Refaat Alareer
Poet, writer, professor, teacher
Beloved by your students
Your body, your family’s bodies,
And the bodies of your sister’s family
Lie buried beneath Gaza City rubble.
Your poem “If I Must Die”
Read and heard
By millions worldwide
Will forever be a testament.
To your courage and dignity.
Victor Henry's poetry and prose poems have appeared in small press magazines, anthologies, and e-zines, such as Slipstream; The Paterson Literary Review; Nobody Gets Off The Bus: The Viet Nam Generation Big Book; Vietnam War Poetry; The Homestead Review; Red River Review; The Monterey Poetry Review; The Porter Gulch Review; Dead Snakes; and Misfitmagazine, among others. His book of Vietnam poetry, What They Wanted, was published by Future Cycle Press.
