My teachers made me
Inside and outside
of the formal class
(the room that can
imprison and restrain)

My teachers made me
Its all their (own) fault
they carry the blame
unbeknown to them

My teachers made me
though not all of them
were in the formal sense
there were those organic
and those traditional

Beyond the borders
of the classroom
and the ravages
of Bantu Education

Teachers, non-teachers,
political and civic activists
Marxists, (African) Socialists,
feminists, womynists all
played their individual part
(made their mark though
not with corporal punishment)

My teachers made me
love reading and writing
(and no sensationalist stuff!)
appreciate Achebe and Ngugi
and Neruda and Brecht too

My teachers made me
critique our place
in the balkanised world
and want to go forth
and change it

My teachers made me
shaped and motivated me
and they set me free

Has yours?