Love Poem: Our Models
Bernard Brakatu Avatar
Written by: Bernard Brakatu

Our Models

We came here pretentious, egoistic, hyper-inflated with our meager academic laurels and
filled with self-adulation of our GPAs
You saw us plainly; our minds almost blank like a tabular rasa, but you saw potential and
so gently humbled us with IAs
Under the aegis of your golden rules, we learnt to know when to be silent and when to
“Always say something”

We needed to know the anatomy of this new education in order to rectify the pathologies of
our time
With your fatherly scalpels, you dissected the courses into absorbable pieces 
You nurtured us and gave us a rather microscopic view of life so we can appreciate the
people around us
Even when the rigors of the academics struck us dumb, you were there to repolarise our
neurons with your fraternal voice; “Think folks!”

When complacency and indolence set in, you shook us up in a booming tone “It’s your job to
know!” and whet our hunger for knowledge
You gave us faith and pushed us to our limits till we saw distinctions right ahead of us
When we were almost tired and the world saw us hyperventilating and palpitating with fear
of referrals,
You transfused us with more knowledge, healed us and saved us at the phase of irreversible
shock and resuscitated us to be the best we could be
When we were back on our feet and had something to offer, you stood by, reminding us never
to judge others especially our patients 
But to strive to put a smile on the faces of others

As if that were not enough, your chemoprophylaxis for us was holistic enough 
To instill in our hearts a strong sense of selflessness with high doses of patriotism
running through our veins
Indeed your love for us is broad spectrum.

Today our hearts are filled with utmost gratitude
For you have placed us at an academic altitude
So we can have something to offer our generation
Our lips will continue in ceaseless veneration
At your polymorphic roles in our lives
For you are our teachers, our parents and our role models

We may twist and turn the queen’s language in your praise
We may shower gifts and awards
We may mimic your voices and behave like you
All we want to say is “We deeply love you, our dear lecturers.”