Mr. Travis

[dukealien]

Mr. Travis

My older brother’s 8th grade teacher
began dropping by for dinner every Sunday
during summer break. He had no wife or kids

and my parents must have thought
he looked needy. He always wore the same
rumpled pants, and short sleeved white shirt.  The clothing detail is interesting but not, perhaps, relevant except to explain why the speaker's parents thought the teacher needy.  A little beard or haircut might serve as well?

Since he was a teacher they thought he'd be
a good influence on us 6 boys, especially
since he didn’t joke around too much.  Again, this speaks to the upcoming nervousness.  Could be more direct (he was very quiet, averted gaze) but on the whole the indirection works well here.

He even helped with swimming lessons
though that seemed to make him nervous.
My dad must have noticed something one day  very nice hanging line ending here - suspense, as it were

after swimming when we were changing
into our clothes. I remember being a bit puzzled
when Mr. Travis suddenly stopped coming by.

The power of implication and inference!

In moderate critique, I have little to add.  The blank verse hangs on the edge of being mere prose with typographic organization, but doesn't fall off.  Quite subtle.

And the poem ends at just the right point:  no complaints to the school, rumors, etc., just a properly enforced preference.

Very good.