'Twas the Night...

Poem for another Honors assignment spring 2014 semester inspired by our odyssey through freshman year using the books and their strifes. Guess what this is a parody of ;P

‘Twas the night before Orientation, when all through my head,
many a thought were stirring, with each one made of lead.
The plane was flown with much finesse,
in hopes of landing with quite the success.

At MSU, the students planned their lives and explored the land,
while visions of upcoming classes were close at hand.
And Ilse in her blazer, and I in my tee,
had just settled our minds that I’ll never be free.

When two months later there arose a new year, 
I held onto my old life and ways oh so dear.
Away to the dorm I plodded like a zombie,
my roommate clothed in Abercrombie.

The isolation in the beginning of this new life,
was discouraging and full of heartache and strife.
So like Frankie’s Monster I sought to be included,
and though I’ve come far, I still like to be secluded.

With challenging classes at the start of college,
I knew in that moment I’d have much more knowledge.
More quickly than lightning T & C came,
and the syllabus gave more readings than I could name!

“Now Plato!  now, Hawking!  now, Darwin and Quammen!
On, Shelley!  On, Homer!  on, Abram and Lightman!
To the end of the semester!  To the end of the year!
Now read!  Read them all!  Read ‘til you’re in the clear!”

As the Titanic to an iceberg these readings all sunk in,
when I meet a story that’s part of me, I give a little grin.
So as the year progressed my shell peeled off,
with courage in pages, I stepped out of my trough.

And then, in a rush, I was flying toward a mirror
with mazes and fog as I drew nearer.
I soared to new heights, and was gaining strength,
the courage to push on was within arm’s length!

O’Brein carried many things, from burdens to backpack,
and he taught that we’re constantly under attack.
A bundle of worry at all of my stresses weighed a ton,
until I learned to accept and embrace, that my life has only begun.

The fellows’ eyes - how they shone!  Their words so bright!
Their comments on papers were like beacons of light!
Their encouragement was enough to make me strive for better,
And with that, I carefully chose each letter.

The death of poor Ivan brought a moral of great import,
and though happiness is overlooked, it can’t be sold short.
I’ve learned to relax and enjoy each day,
so I don’t burn out and become withered and grey.

Homer was wise and liked to play chess,
but the victor of the game was anyone’s guess!
His epics had heroes and monsters, each with a role,
teaching that the journey was actually the goal.

And Farmer spoke many a word, his mountains so high,
showing that after surmounting one, another meets our eye.
My life is full of trials with many more to follow,
the lessons from this insightful class never to hollow.

I sprang into action to put these lessons to work,
and away went my worries with my confident smirk.
But with each new lesson I hear a new friend,
“Be happy and remember this: the finale is never the end!”

Reviews

[several thousand]

Great poem Sarah. The story behind it was sweet. :)

[S]

Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! I had fun writing it, and was chuckling the entire time :D