2008
The 2008 Poet Laureate is Sarah Meador. Her poem is titled "Commencement."
The years have passed
So quickly.
We bounded into high school
One bright August morning
Four years distant
Not knowing
What to expect
But expecting everything.
Faces primed for adventure
Ready for the day
Terrified of what was in store,
And sad that the freedom of
Summer
Was over.
Now we pause,
Once more on the ledge
Of change
Feeling so many
Emotions.
Some new,
Others familiar.
The sad emotions
Of that beautiful August morning
Multiplied by a thousand,
A million.
Palms sweaty,
Nervous beyond measure.
We are ready.
Our minds have been carefully
Filled,
Planted with seeds,
And nourished.
But still, there is that fear.
Fear of what is to come
Fear of failure,
Fear of what awaits us as we leap from this platform
Into a vast world.
Don’t be afraid.
Do not doubt future success,
For we have been given
Many gifts.
Gifts of our teachers,
Of our parents,
Of our friends.
Think of all the doors which
Were opened
In the time we have shared.
Our teachers
Showed us the world around us,
Showed us into our own minds.
Our parents
Held our hands,
Guiding us faithfully
Along the way.
Our friends
Opened our hearts,
Taught us about themselves
And about us in the process.
Together
We have learned so much more
Than what can be gathered from
Books alone.
We have analyzed
The works of Shakespeare,
And through our actions
Conceived our own dramas
And comedies.
Together
We have discovered
What true love is,
And what it’s not.
We have cried,
Celebrated,
Succeeded,
And mourned
As one.
And though we leave
A place noted
For the moments
We have in common
Think not of this day
As an ending.
Think not in terms of
Friends who will leave,
Experiences not had,
Or business
Left unfinished.
Instead,
Turn towards the journey
Which lies just outside these doors.
The world is out there,
Ready to enjoy us,
Ready to teach us,
Ready to accept all we offer it.
The question we ask ourselves
[can I do it? Am I ready?]
Are ones that don’t need to be
answered,
Because we already know.
We are prepared.
We have taken the first
Tentative steps,
And now it is time
To jump.
Our voyage
Is only just beginning.
Live
For the wonder,
The joy,
and the beauty
Every single day.
Live
To love our world,
And each other.
Greet this night
With an open heart
And open heart
And open eyes,
Ready to live,
Ready to fly.
There is a reason
They call it
Commencement.
-Sarah Meador