To a teacher leonard cohen

I met a woman long ago Her hair the black that black can go Are you a teacher of the heart? Soft she answered no I met a girl across the sea Her hair the gold that gold can be Are you a teacher of the heart? Yes, but not for thee. I met a man who lost his mind In some lost place I had to find Follow me the wise man said But he walked behind. I walked into a hospital Where none was sick and none was well When at night the nurses left I could not walk at all.

Teaching poetry to teenagers can be tough. I actually read each one two times so the students had time to think about and write down their favourite line. This practice made poetry so accessible — everyone can choose one thing that they liked! Something in that poem struck a chord that morning, and I had to make the call as to whether to push on to whatever we were supposed to do that day, or to let the conversation flow. I chose the latter, and now as I think back to best moments in the classroom, I wish I had done that more often. I thought we were so high tech back then, since the students included photos of themselves as children with their poems.