Adele Wayman Retirement Celebration

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If you can remember a few months ago,

I wove words together to make rhythm show.

A poem was such a good way to display

All the things my painting class learned that day.

 

Adele’s been at Guilford for four decades now,

She’s impacted us all and I hope this says how.

So as a tie in to that one, here which I’ve linked,

A bittersweet wrap-up will do nicely, I think…

 

This past weekend a merry get-together was had –

And absolutely nothing anyone said was bad.

I brought my Nana – yes, Adele, she was there!

We listened intently to what everyone shared.

 

I was later than most but still got to hear

Other art teachers share stories from their years.

Up came Roy – whom we were all glad to see –

Telling Adele’s part in how his Guilford life came to be.

 

Former students were there too, only saying nice things,

With Adele, good stories are the only ones to bring,

Because even when times get rough in her class,

Everything only happens to get us on track fast.

 

Three faculty were students, (Terry, Charlie, and Mark in fact).

Their methods were molded from watching Adele’s tact.

She can get what she wants and show what you need,

Never sacrificing a student’s own way to succeed.

 

Maia came in and spoke completely unscripted,

She truthfully described Adele as “flexible but rigid.”

So many of us laughed and nodded to agree

Whispering to others, “If you’d been in her class, you’d see!”

 

Adele has this way of always working with you,

Compromising if, like me, you’re stubborn too.

Helping us along in the correct direction,

And allowing us to keep our own affections.

 

At some point during this, we heard from a very special two,

They thanked us for coming and – wait, do you need a clue?

They got us a little choked up by the time they were done…

They were none other than a certain husband and son.

 

I wasn’t able to stay past this part in the day,

And, while there, I was too shy to stand up and say

Before I took a painting class with Adele last semester,

I would’ve said I found painting to be quite the pester.

 

So thanks for showing this control-freak drawing major

That I really didn’t need to be such a painting-process hater.

Letting go and learning to paint with those oils

Is no longer a part of my character foil.

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