To The Teachers
I learned the truth at seventeen,
From Leonard Cohen and Janis Ian.
I learned of love and pain and joy
And how to love a perfect boy.
I learned that truth was all around;
It had a voice, it had a sound.
I learned that loss would never leave
And loss of love would make me grieve.
I learned to let the light shine in
And flood me out and cleanse my sin.
I learned that knowing perfect love
Was a perfect gift in a perfect glove.
And when at last I knew the truth
I learned to love my perfect youth.
Elizabeth Shanley is a narrative coach and storyteller. She is a leadership development specialist, working with underrepresented leaders to achieve equity in the workplace. Elizabeth regularly publishes in The Advantages of Age, an online magazine and was nominated as Contributor of the Year (2023) and Article of the Year (2025). She has an MA in Creative Writing and is working on a collection of short stories and her novel. She lives in North Wales, close to her Celtic roots.
