My Teacher

The hours, he spent, the days the years

 as I sat by his side,

learning.

To play piano

To play violin

To write music

To use a tape recorder

To use a label maker.

To learn the owl, and the lathe,

To learn to change a washer

I learned how

To paint a baseboard

To love Wild Wild  World of Animals, Sinbad the Sailor, Three's Company, and .

Killier Kowalsky

I learned how

'To ride a bike

To put a sting around a bee

To move a glass across the kitchen table 

And yes I learned

With kindness

and patience

and love

I learned.