I dropped out of high school in August of 1986.
In 1993, that was a mistake that I decided to fix.
I was only fifteen years old when I dropped out.
When I ask people not to make my mistake, there is no doubt.
I studied from April of 1993 to June of 1995 and it was very cool.
I studied for twenty-six months until I graduated from high school.
Some people mistook my diploma for a GED but it's not.
I didn't take the easy way out like those people thought.
I became a high school graduate thirty years ago today.
Don't drop out of school like I did because it's not okay.
(I graduated from high school thirty years ago today on June 21, 1995)
THE DOG-GED LIE
In a house on a bustling street,
Lived a pup with paws and fur so neat.
His owner, a young lad of just ten,
Made a promise to his furry friend, Ben.
"Dear dog," the boy did solemnly vow,
"I'll confess to my teacher, I swear it now,6
That you munched on my homework, oh so sly,
But please, don't give me that not-guilty eye."
The dog just woofed and wagged his tail,
He knew the boy's plan would surely fail.
But to humor his lazy friend, he played along,
Knowing the outcome would sound all wrong.¹²
The next day at school, in front of the class,
The boy's face turned red, oh what a farce!
"Teacher," he stammered, "I must confess,
My dog ate my homework...oh what a mess!"
The teacher just chuckled and shook her head,
"Nice try, my dear boy," she kindly said.¹8
But the dog at home let out a sly grin,
Knowing he'd never get in trouble for this sin.
And so, the boy and his furry mate,
Shared a phony secret that was so great.
Telling the truth would be tough, so it seem,
The boy & his dog made a fraudulent team.²4
VICK MANUEL POETRY {VMP}
FORM: Rhymes
Copyright ©?January 2024.
In the Land of Opportunity
Entitlement reared her pretty head
Without a backstop to plain bad luck
Social Security's safety net was spread
Next came the 'War on Poverty'
Food Stamps and ADC
It might have staved off hunger for a bit
But dependency was galvanized, and (yes), obesity
Today there is unprecedented help
for anyone who will only yelp
Free computer classes, GED, ESL too
Guaranteed Job Training programs in high schools
and community colleges, Yahoo!
Yet the percentage of those working has gone down
and dropping most free classes reigns supreme
Seems that 'giving away the farm'
won't bring back the American Dream
It's only one man's unscientific perception ~
but 'teaching a man to fish' still passes inspection
__________________________________________________________
ADC = Aid to Dependent Children
GED = General Education Diploma (Equivalent to High School Diploma)
ESL = English as a Second Language (for immigrants and their children)
Her hands are gifted, blessed, pure
Even though years ago, they cleaned
Aged-Seniors in the nonprofit that hired her
Loving Jesus spawn sagas of love. As I drink ....
A couple years after earning a G.E.D.
He came home from a tour of duty.
Sporting a tattoo and a pair of war eyes.
(2 black jellybeans where there once were stars).
One day the shine in those stars was displaced.
When his closest grunt friend got blown away via an I.E.D.
Rigged by a teenage Asp, slithering in a blistered land.
Dreaming only in the colors of death.
She did not know she was smart
That had been drummed out of her
By her parents and now Mr. Wonderful
He came in to take the GED test
I was the teacher
His scores were horrible
I had encouraged her to take the test too
She had been reluctant
But he had coaxed her, in a teasing way as if he thought she was dumb
She outperformed him by leaps and bounds.
I told her she could take the real GED test
But he would have to come back and take classes
She gave me a sad look as they left
I never knew if she was to be beaten
But they never returned
I am a high school drop out with a GED.
That is the formal education of yours truly,
but I am self educated in areas that interest me passionately,
science, animal and human behaviour and history mainly.
Today anyone can be as self educated as they choose to be,
with this superhighway of information known as the internet by many,
but sadly,
most use the world wide web to post photos of their cats unfortunately,
which I too have been guilty of, as you can plainly see.
My Beloved Samonster Cat
Rest In Peace
A lbatross a wandering ~ the largest bird up in the sky
L ongest wingspan ever seen ‘twixt eight foot three to eleven foot six
B reeding is the only time I'm touching down on terra firma
A ged sixty years or more with just one mate whom I adore
T o kill me, legends say, your life would end without a friend
R ejoicing mariners safe with me until their journey ends
O ver oceans I will soar whilst sleeping on the wing
S upernatural some believe, protecting oceans far and wide
S oaring gliding elegantly an awesome sight when in full flight
Written 9th July 2020
Contest Bird
Sponsor Constance La France
4th Place
Contest COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE 38
Sponsor Brian Strand
I lie, the warm air gently soothes me.
An azure sky of fading blues against a midnight black.
Mars and venus pop out like shimmering crystals.
Aged embers from the fire sizzle down to an orange hue.
The breeze is gentle, ruffling my fringe ever so softly.
Pitch is the night, no moon, and the stars are out.
Evergreens nestle in my view, a border of pine and fur.
Alas the escapade of the stars begins.
Cascades of stars dance like figure skaters.
Ever a moment, then fade, but in memory remain.
For a science fair in high school when I was a freshman,
I constructed what could have become an atomic bomb,
the only missing ingredient was plutonium.
"I made this," I said to everybody,
"I constructed this device very easily.
Imagine the potential of someone much more educated than me,
but take that a step further, imagine if they were angry."
I dropped out of high school thereafter shortly,
and graduated from The University of The State of NY with a GED.
Oh, and my science project was seized by my local police.
No charges were filed against yours truly,
but I left both the police and all at the science fair in a state of disbelief,
and needless to say, my parents grounded me.
.WaFer for holy communion
.WhOsoever believeth in him...
..TaRry, watch, and pray with me.
..SiGns and wonders
..CrOwn of Glory
..JuDged all by their measure
..ReSts on the Sabbath Day
...FlOcks of sheep watched by the Shepherd King
..FuLfill mercy unto our fathers and remembering his holy covenant
..AdOration and worship Him Who created
..LoVes a cheerful giver
..WiEld power over them
..AdDress to God for them is for salvation.
.MyThs and endless genealogies
.AdHere to, and rely on God
..FrEed out of the mouth of the lion
.PoWer of the Lord is with you
..BlOod of Jesus Christ
.PuRity of devotion to Christ
..FiLls our souls before our God for you,
.EnDures long and is patient and kind.
Date: 09/05/2019
MIMICKING FAME WITH DR. SEUSS
Dr Seuss,
You’re the man,
Let me try and mimic
You, if I can!
There’s a Zik,
In the Tick,
Of my Clock,
And a Nouse,
In my House,
And a Bink
In the Sink
Of our Kitchen
There’s a Stouge
In our Lounge,
He’s rather nice,
To be around once or twice.
There’s a Pindow
Near my Window.
Do you know ,
There’s a Nore,
Behind the Door,
Someone tall, it’s Celt,
I felt
Looking at me.
I feel sure,
That a Bure,
Lives beneath my
Carpet I Deplore!
But afraid of
These tiny Creatures
Who have, identical Features
And look like tiny Preachers!
In my Kettle,
There’s a Reen,
That I’ve Seen,
And fat Co,
By the breakfast Nook,
My pen and paper Took
That’s made me Mad
He’s really Bad!
And his friend
Is Ged,
Who lives under my Bed
Most of all
I have fun with Ploor
Who lives beneath the Floor,
He’s such a friendly Guy,
He’d like to visit you he said!
Too late for entering contest, but still posting.
Past
Held with
Outpour of
Togetherness
Ours
Fun
Regards
Aged ol’ days
Memory lane
Eyes
howanysyllables.com
Light Up the Page 3
Joseph May
March 24, 2019
The last one of the family
Thanksgiving and Christmas will be tainted
An in-law but the mom and grandmother
Of a list of family members
Strong, intelligent and blessed
Living to be in her upper ninties
Memories of her persona remain
How she got her GED in her late seventies
How she wanted higher education for children
How she worked in the garden and perserved food
How she kept a clean home at all times
Now into eternity she has gone
I know that she abides in a new heavenly home
Today will be a time to remember her life sublime
At Thanksgiving and Christmas Time
you see to get a ged
and be in demand
put this in your head can
you must known indeed
the ind you feed
UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU READ
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