Graduation

Our gardeners planted seeds in a box And got a garden. They watered that garden And got an orchard. They cultivated that orchard, And got a forest. A forest of beautiful men and women, Of all walks of life. Some tall, some short, Some light, some dark, Some fruitful and generous, Others austere. But through all the toil, The gardeners,the cultivators Continued to prune, To refine even the smallest of trees. Like a mother and child Even when things got tough Like overtime with no pay, They got their reward. They got their fruitage From the very garden they watered, The very orchard they cultivated. We have been given a foundation To build upon And we took to it. Sank our roots deep And stretched our leaves high. Foundations that will not crumble When exposed to the elements. Nor will they give out In times of need. We remember it like it was yesterday We were fresh seeds in gilded soil Ready to take on the world With smiling masks on our faces. But within an unseen struggle commenced. A battle to separate the wheat from the weeds The men from the mice. The runners from the crawlers. To prove that we have what it takes To hold our own and emerge From the darkness of virgin minds And blissful ignorance. So here we are - the wheat, The men and women, Ready to walk out that door And become your tomorrow. Separately, we cannot cause a ripple, But together, we can move the world.