Graduation Day

I wrote a poem about this— 

—This feeling once, you know?

How our ties would suddenly disappear

But that… that was a long time ago

It’s hard to think I might not see you all again

But that doesn’t mean you’re not with me

I’ve learned so much this year

And I’m grateful I got to meet you all, really

Only one thing hurts more than these goodbyes

And that’s the silence of my own solitude

There’s nothing I’d trade this for

There’s nothing that could express all my gratitude

I’ll take your lessons with me

From now on, I’ll try to say sorry less

Even if they won’t be here

I know they’d be impressed

And so, our ties won’t be broken

Deep down, I know this is true

So far, they’ve held me up

Even with all I’ve gone through

Maybe it’s a little corny to suggest

Or maybe it’s just cliche

But I know I’ll love you all dearly

From no matter just how far away

Inspiration Behind the Poem:

Just reading through it, anyone could see what sparked the idea behind this piece. I published a poem for the first time just a few months ago. It has been the most gratifying experience, yet it has also been the most terrifying thing in my life. For me, poetry has always been something personal. Every piece is like a glance into who I am as a person, showing my thoughts, my feelings, or anything of the sort. Just the thought of having something like that open to any number of people is chilling.

I think it was last year, during one of our bonding events, when I finally realized just how fast time was passing. I bawled my eyes out so hard in front of everyone at a holiday party. Looking back at the first poem I published, it’s hard to imagine that I had written something about this exact moment: the bittersweet feeling that we all find at the end of a school year. 

Even still, I had originally joined The Voice to help myself get more comfortable with speaking. Pushing myself far out of my comfort zone, I never thought that I would actually enjoy everything I’ve done for The Voice this year, and I never would have seen myself looking forward to my 8th hour every day. Of course, it had its “ups and downs,” but that’s true for just about everything. I’ve never been the most confident person, but I know that I can say that I loved this class and everyone in it.