Paper On the Wall

Paper on the Wall I look up at the wall and see all the papers in order, So many hanging there that one might think I’m a hoarder. I was proud to stare at their splendor at one time, Yet now to do that action, well there is no reason or rhyme. They show that I have perhaps memorized some things, But there’s no ever-lasting knowledge that any one of them brings. All they really say is that I followed rules while saying what the people wanted, And that I focused on the grades, even when it meant my dreams were haunted. That’s all it takes to get a paper up on the wall, But really it’s the paper on our hearts where the “oos” and “awes” should fall. I don’t see why people should envy the man-made paper and words When it’s the happiness brought to others that will send in the white birds. So today, finally having learned something in life, I tear down the papers, with each finger acting as knife. I tell you it is not paper that will bring you joy, But instead the peace from inside that you can employ. I urge you not to let your nose in the air and your spine stand tall, For it is little about all those papers on the wall.