Monday, June 1, 2009

To Alex on Her Graduation














by Dee Newman

The future, and all it brings, lies ahead.
There will be much for you to learn and know.
Be careful of how and where you may tread
For every step you take – will show.

Though, you will be taught in the years to come –
Facts, ideas, so-called truths, and knowledge,
Poetry is as vital to wisdom
As anything you may learn in college.

Better to face the future with forethought
And learn from other’s mistakes than from your own,
Most things worth knowing can never be taught,
What we think we own is only on loan.

Get off the beaten path; blaze your own trails.
Discover what is just around the bend.
And remember, it’s your rudder and sails
That are adjustable and not the wind.

With a creative mind full of values,
You are now, at last, free and on your own.
You can go anywhere you wish or choose
Without the need of any chaperon.

It will take a great deal of courage
To grow up and be who you really are.
So, do not let anyone discourage
Or prevent you from becoming a star.

Know this: what lies within you matters more
Than all that lies behind you or before.
There’s no shortcut to a place worth going,
Or any knowledge that is worth knowing.

So, let no one else decide what you know,
Or where, when, and how far you may go.
Though its roots may be bitter to eat,
The tree of life’s fruits are oh so sweet.

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