Years ago I woke to the sound of eggs

Crashing on my house and car

A Monday morning investigation at school

Led me to the culprits

We talked it over and decided egging was not good

And that was good enough for me

Later life got in the way for the ovarian pitcher

Drugs, suspensions, college rejections

Through it all we would talk

Not as combatants, but as two men

Going through life, trying to manage advisory periods

He limped through to graduation

Finishing high school in the night portion of our school day

After seeing him daily

For nearly four years

Our  paths had not crossed until today

When I missed lunch

Due to some frustrating limitations of my teaching prowess

And my extreme craving for a cheesesteak.

I was in bizarro land at the restaurant

Greeted enthusiastically by a former student

Who proceeded to tell me of the hiring

Of four more former students,

One being my wayward traveling student from years ago

His eyes were alive, clear after finding his soul

His posture was confident after ridding his petty self

He had his life together

He reports being drug free

He has a college plan

He’s working hard

Making cheesesteaks and grooming snow

He wanted to know how I was doing

My unconfident shrug gave me away

Then he said, “They’ll get it when they are ready.”

Spoken like a man who found his health

By thinking and living

In the power of his ability to make decisions

That are good;

Good for him and good for others.

Thank you, Lord, for helping me to miss lunch,

For I needed his bit of wisdom

To see outside of the confines of brick, mortar, and 

Youthful lack of experience

It took a few years, but now I know why

He threw those eggs

Thank goodness I got to be his teacher