The Caressing Professor
One teacher, sweeter than the rest, was sweet
Unlike buzzed honey in the scriptures he
Upheld. His classroom tricks were like a suite
Of tools abjured by other teachers. He could see
His way around a stupid answer given by
A co-ed who had not prepared one thought
About the poems in the homework. Fly
Replies he managed, like a fielder ought,
To catch the clueless comment, but then it
Would be transformed into a homerun for
The batter. It was like the fool had hit
The ball outside the park, or like a whore
Was purer than the ones who would have known
The poem’s meaning. We suppressed a groan.
~ Phillip Whidden