Mrs. Phyllis Ward was a force
Petite, stylish red hair, glasses
Direct but compassionate
My junior and senior year she was my English teacher
Her passion for literature exuded
Her zeal palpable
We read The Grapes of Wrath, Travel’s with Charlie
Steinbeck, she revered
She knew I shared her priceless
Love of the written word
She instilled it
Mrs. Ward made me feel my passion was a gift
In my academic career
She was the most enlightened
Teacher, I encountered
Her instruction my forever fortune
She taught me I had a voice
That my thoughts about literature were vital
The passion she passed on serves me well
To know her was to know literature