Making My Exit
The line up for our great exodus took hours
As we entered the screaming arena vision going white my heart stopped-
Just for a second
Then it started again full speed as I waved a wave-
Not a thank you for coming wave-
But a wave of relief
As I marched to my seat my steps became longer more urgent
I fought the urge to give that professor a hug-
And that professor the bird
Finally sitting in my designated spot was painful
I wanted to run across that big ugly stage and never look back
Sitting there slowly picking through the alphabet the pressure started to dissipate-
The late nights-
The barely making school payments-
The overly priced never used textbooks-
It was all gone behind me
And though happy there was a small sting in that
Finally came my three seconds of recognition
Walking slowly they called out Summa Cum Laude
And for a moment I questioned if all the extra hours–
And perfectionism-
And fifteenth drafts of an essay was worth it–
But I didn’t care because I was proud
I walked off that stage and disappeared into the crowd-
With something gained I didn’t have before
Maybe it was knowledge
Maybe it was a higher moral and social etiquette
Maybe it was just a damn piece of paper
But I did it
3/22/23
Copyright © Hannah Hockaday | Year Posted 2023
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