Friday, September 21, 2018

My Path Runs Ahead of Me and My Plans - Canto Nine

My Path Runs Ahead of Me and My Plans - Canto Nine

From a dorm so small
To a space all my own
My bed, my desk, my closet
My room attached to my bathroom

Classes are harder
As to be expected
Year long friendships ending
Harder than ever expected

Do adults keep friends
The way that children do
A commitment to communication
Despite adulthood schedules

A time of transition
Made all the more difficult
By a population too great in number
To feel outstanding

Is it selfish to want
To be noticed
To be counted
To be known

Is part of this transition
The realization that I am one
Of far too many
To be remembered

My Path Runs Ahead of Me and My Plans - Canto Eight

My Path Runs Ahead of Me and My Plans - Canto Eight

A higher education
They called it
With an ever higher price
Then some could ever pay

Adults as classmates
Adults as professors
Adults as discussion leaders
Adults as coworkers

Could it be
We lose our child's heart
Among the lecture halls
Or in between the novel-length lecture notes

Could it be
We gain something of equal value
To that of the heart lost
For knowledge gained

Do we pursue our goals
Out of fear
Or determination
Or legitimate fascination

Are we not yet well-rounded
Must we continue with the rigor
Of a multiple subject lack of focus
Work without relation to our futures

Are we not yet adults
And therefore know
What we wish to learn
What we need to succeed

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Like Talking to a Brick Wall

Like Talking to a Brick Wall

You tell the kids to sit down and shut up.
But when was the last time you encouraged them to stand up and speak up?

You tell the kids you know the answer and they don't.
But when was the last time you admitted to not knowing; opening your mind to learning?

You tell the kids their problems are small and will pass.
But when was the last time you lived in the present; open to new perspectives?

You tell the kids you know best, because you've been there before.
But when was the last time you learned without failure?

You tell the kids it's not enough.
But when was the last time that it was?

You tell the kids they don't know how easy they have it.
But when was the last time you knew something without living it?

You tell the kids everything they need to hear to be broken, so that you can shape them in your image.
But when will it matter to you that who they could have been will now never be?

Children are children
And
Adults are adults

I'm not here to say we lost sight of that at some point.
I'm here to say there may be no goal more important than learning this truth.

Learning is learning
And
Difficult
And
Never ending

The trials of adulthood are not the beginning of the struggle.
Nor is it the end of growth.

I've been told before,
I don't get to have an opinion on this,
Because I don't have children
And I cannot possibly comprehend the challenges of parenthood.

I tell myself the same thing
I tell my students
When faced with a voice
That aims to silence yours.

Stand up.
Speak up.
Seek the answers
And admit to it when you don't have them.
Your problems are yours.
No matter the problems of others;
They're still yours.
Do not live in relativism;
Keep your mind open and educated.
You will never be too old to learn something new.
Who you are now is enough for now
And if it isn't, then it simply means
It's time to grow;
To take your next step
And no one else's.

Live, learn, and be who you want to be.

I do not demand;
I only request
That part of who you want to be...

Be a person of balance in a world of chaos.

Patience

Patience

How much longer must this take?
How much longer can I wait?

How much harder must I try?
How much harder until I fly?

How much time has already passed?
How can I make time last?

How many more chances will I get?
How many more mistakes will I regret?

How many more lessons are there to learn?
How many more times must I burn?

How long must I be left with questions?
How long without answers and only suggestions?

How long is life a journey without a final destination?

Friday, September 7, 2018

Made Stronger

Made Stronger

Starlit dreams of fading memories
Links made whole
And forever bound
By a bond made strong
In sincerity

A chain of what once was
A chain of weight and worry
Lifted from my shoulders
Replaced by a chain shared
Between two hearts

Two hearts of empathy empowered
By the connection between them

Two hearts
One chain
True love