Prayer for Roethke by Mallory Leonard

Prayer for Roethke

My Professor, who loved me

By Mallory Leonard

I remember the books along the wall, keepers of our shared passion;
And the way his eyes would gaze on me, soft and delighted;
And the way his words swirled as wind as they carried me into the magic of our poetry,
And when he smiled at my dancing language, I was free.
His office was a haven for my scattered thoughts,
A forest, where I explored a realm of knowledge and affection.
He laughed in the light,
Strumming the branches in a melody that embraced me as he did,
And a home was built in the trees marked by pen and tongues.

Sad I was, too deep to be seen, when he held my hand;
He stilled the clear water from my eye,
Surrounding me in that water,
Cooling my cheek with his moss.

My teacher, I could not stay forever.
But you planted me in your roots, and up I grow like a vine.
Find solace in my winding green as it courses the hard bark.
Pray you, feel the ground still wet.

If only I could see your face with my fingers,
Oh lustrous willow, sycamore friend.
I hear your words and mine as they whip our souls.
We, our rights have no matter
In the love of nature.

Mallory grew up in Maryville, TN, surrounded by a rambunctious, loving family. Her love for literature blossomed at an early age, when she taught herself to read and began to pretend she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. During her high school years, Mallory found herself in the midst of some of the most delightfully eccentric beings she had ever encountered, which are belovedly known as English teachers. In their classes, Mallory was captivated by the beauty of language and the enthusiasm her teachers demonstrated in their work. To this day, Mallory believes it was her teachers' support mixed with her own literary inclinations that got her where she is today. Currently Mallory resides in Cleveland, TN, where she ardently devotes herself to gratifying her insatiable hunger for literature, studying under Lee University's quirky and brilliant English professors. Mallory serves on the Editorial Staff of the Lee Review, her university's literary journal. She is a member of four national honor societies, including Sigma Tau Delta and Alpha Chi. Also, she has been published in the Enlightenment, and she has presented at the Sigma Tau Delta conference at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.


	Prayer for Roethke My Professor, who loved me By Mallory Leonard I remember the books along the wall, keepers of our shared passion; And the way his eyes would gaze on me, soft and delighted; And the way his words swirled as wind as they carried me into the magic of our poetry, And when he smiled at my dancing language, I was free. His office was a haven for my scattered thoughts, A forest, where I explored a realm of knowledge and affection. He laughed in the light, Strumming the branches in a melody that embraced me as he did, And a home was built in the trees marked by pen and tongues. Sad I was, too deep to be seen, when he held my hand; He stilled the clear water from my eye, Surrounding me in that water, Cooling my cheek with his moss. My teacher, I could not stay forever. But you planted me in your roots, and up I grow like a vine. Find solace in my winding green as it courses the hard bark. Pray you, feel the ground still wet. If only I could see your face with my fingers, Oh lustrous willow, sycamore friend. I hear your words and mine as they whip our souls. We, our rights have no matter In the love of nature. Mallory grew up in Maryville, TN, surrounded by a rambunctious, loving family. Her love for literature blossomed at an early age, when she taught herself to read and began to pretend she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. During her high school years, Mallory found herself in the midst of some of the most delightfully eccentric beings she had ever encountered, which are belovedly known as English teachers. In their classes, Mallory was captivated by the beauty of language and the enthusiasm her teachers demonstrated in their work. To this day, Mallory believes it was her teachers' support mixed with her own literary inclinations that got her where she is today. Currently Mallory resides in Cleveland, TN, where she ardently devotes herself to gratifying her insatiable hunger for literature, studying under Lee University's quirky and brilliant English professors. Mallory serves on the Editorial Staff of the Lee Review, her university's literary journal. She is a member of four national honor societies, including Sigma Tau Delta and Alpha Chi. Also, she has been published in the Enlightenment, and she has presented at the Sigma Tau Delta conference at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.