My Teacher Education Graduation Poem

I wrote the following poem from the fire within me that was stoked by my experiences as a graduate student.  It had been a long journey, and we were at the edge of a new beginning.  Some of will get jobs and start that journey right away, and others will take a longer path.  Some will resist, and others will succumb.  It is all a part of the journey.  The most important thing is that we keep “holding at the forefront the lives of the individuals we shape.”

Standing on the edge of a precipice

With eyes covered,

Not knowing how long,

If ever,

This long journey will take to reach rectification,

We trudge forward, ready for the dive,

With our hope and knowledge to guide us.

Holding at the forefront the lives of the individuals we shape.

We prepare our hopes and our minds for the day,

That we can step unfettered into our future.

But the future is clouded with dissent,

And because we cling to our values,

There is a battle to be fought,

We are unprepared, though,

For we are not soldiers,

But scholars, and poets,

Artists, and authors…

But stand we here in the garb of war,

To fight the good battle,

For those who cannot,

Against those who know not,

Armed merely with wit and the tools of our trade.

But we will find knowledge is our advantage,

Because,

Like a bird bound,

We have succumbed to our fetters,

For now,

But the hope of liberation is nigh.

We stand on a precipice,

And though we do not know what comes next,

We have our wits, our values, and our hope,

And nothing can stand in our way.

Mrs. T