return to the classics

during junior high school
i had a string of memorable english teachers.
mrs. farrell, mrs. watson, and mrs. stafford.
to be precise.

they seemed so old back then.
but in hindsight,
they were not old at all.
they were full of spunk.

they were tough.
they demanded excellence.
they taught me the proper use of good and well.
and they made us read the classic.

and i mean read the book
word for word.
not skim
or read the cliff notes.

there are some books
that stayed with me over the years.
to kill a mockingbird, the yearling, the great gatsby
catcher in the rye, pride and prejudice and a tale of two cities.

there were others that i read
and then promptly forgot.
jane eyre was one of those books.

so when i saw jane eyre last night,
i was ill-prepared.
however, i think was was a good thing.
i had no expectations.

and i loved it.
it was tragic, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
it was about love.
the kind of love you can not live without.

i loved it so,
that i think in honor of
my english teachers
i need to re-read some of the classics.