When going to school at a tender age,
The little girl would put on her socks and shoes,
Give her parents a goodbye kiss,
And run out with her school bag and lunchbox,
A smile upon her face, filled with joy and happiness,
Excited to learn a new word from her teacher.
Days turned into months,
And months into years,
Until finally came her graduation day—
The day she would leave those beautiful school days behind.
Afterward, her school uniform and school necessities
Rested quietly in the wardrobe,
Becoming memories of her beautiful early days.
She looked at them, sighed, and said,
"Indeed, this is where you finally ended,
After being with me through my beautiful early days." ??
Three thousand chairs are crammed across the field,
A sea of cheap black gowns and melting ice.
We’re sitting trapped without a sunlit shield,
While sweat drips down my neck to mock me twice.
The principal yells names at breakneck pace,
A steady roar from "Aaron" down to "Zane."
I’m stuck somewhere around the middle space,
My rear is numb, my brain feels like pure pain.
By letter M, the afternoon turns harsh,
Lost in a sea of gowns forevermore.
Are we graduating or trapped in a marsh?
The kid beside me starts to nod and snore.
Three thousand names read off without a pause—
I only stayed because my mom said I had to!
From bathroom pipes, kitchen sinks
From inside cabinets, drain and sewer points
The cockroach approaches in a flash of time.
Once sighted, woman gets scared and yelp
A chance for the brave husband to help
And to flaunt his bravery and might.
Seizes the broom sitting at the corner
When the brave man comes with the broom
The sly cockroach is already lost from sight
The brave man hits at every nook and corner
Misses the target, and the mission to kill, fails
Leaves his wife in utter despair and anger.
Finds the pest below the cot and hits it hard
The cockroach struggled but did not die
Broom snaps, pest flees without a trace
Nastiest pest, nocturnal in habit
The insect at its best at night
Rarely surfaces in broad daylight
Finds escape routes to hide from sight.
The insect loves and lives in grime and filth
Ill at ease in open space and broad daylight
Always in hiding and retreating to dark
Pale tan , reddish brown, glossy dark to black
Shades of repulsive colours, gross to look
Notorious for infestations and spreads diseases
Now hogging limelight in media discourse.
There're things much worse than being alone.
Like a stream of cold words cutting to the bone.
Or bruises blooming like lilacs on the face of innocents.
There's always a steel-toed skunk in a field of mint.
Nobody wants to spend their precious days
navigating paths of eggshell. and broken glass.
You don't notice the petals or bells anymore, only the horn of the coming train crash.
Day upon day you dust off the mask
because that's what dusters are expert at.
They put on rose-scented glasses and tap shoes.
Sashay into yet another flinch-battered day.
Hoping there's a patch of robin egg blue.
To temper that vast quilt of blackish decay.
One thing is always in fashion,
that polka-dot pattern of escalation.
Pinnacle of pins and green desperation.
A shallow pond of apology and reconciliation.
Things turn sweet to sour at the speed of light.
A honeymoon never shows you its darkest side.
Once there were diamonds, now there's only slag -
It's past time for a nonchalant lift off that icy crag.
I was afraid love
My spirit changing for you
You hear me howling?
“These are the days,” commencement speakers say,
“when you begin your climb to reach your goals,
which only YOU can set. Work hard and pray
for guidance as you fill life’s many roles.”
Accomplished ones mentor the young: “These are
the days you’ll smile about when you achieve
your greatest dreams. You’ll realize how far
you’ve come. Now persevere. You must believe.
Retirees hear from friends and family,
“These are the days you’ll get your second wind.
Pursuing new dreams calls for energy
and wisdom from beginning to the end.”
At every stage of life, we need to hear
uplifting words from others we hold dear.
I thought graduation would feel like an ending.
Instead,
it feels like standing in a doorway,
not ready to leave
And unable to stay.
Think humble,
No need to mumble,
Try not to stumble,
Have less trouble,
Venture out of your bubble.
Kind acts double,
Fun enable,
Guilt less affordable.
Face now likable,
Smiles more suitable,
Hugs renewable.
Mind stable,
Mistakes limitable,
Mirror charitable.
More than one friend contactable,
Life better than tolerable,
Grudges forgettable.
Revenge unthinkable.
2026-06-02 Breathless Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Constance La France
I was fine up untill this moment
It hadn't really sunk in yet
That my new home wasn't the one that held my childhood memories
That my new school wasn't the one that remembered my half-done projects
That my new friends wouldn't be the ones who shared old adventures and knew all my references.
That the new weather wouldn't be the one with cool autumns and red falling leaves
or freezing winters with weekend trips to snow-covered hills
That my family wouldn't be just a word away for a hug
And that the air I was breathing wasn't the air from home
And suddenly, it was too hard for me to get a breath.
Graduation Week:
just a yearly reminder
of my youth long gone
She's God's Gift: she was born by HIS Grace,
He hath been with her while growing in life,
Though she walked thro' thorns and spikes, He hath been with her.
She was a tiny-tot when entered a play school,
She uttered alphabet and numbers, and was taught rhymes,
She had slept in her tiny snug couch,
Her eyelids winked that pronounced infantile babblings.
She entered class One and learnt child-like language,
God in Christ JESUS showed a ladder unto her to soar high,
Each step she climbed up hath been fruitful,
She learnt God’s Grace while soaring high.
Having reached the milestone of school learning, she prayed unto HIM with Thanksgiving.
She stepped onto the milestone of college learning for Biotechnology,
Her travel for four years taught her what life is,
Her efforts begot fruit to soar high above,
And He hath lifted her high above the pedestal of life,
And yet she hath to grow in His Plan and glorify Him.
Now she hath been crowned with B.Tech.graduate degree,
And it's His design in her life on earth and cross more milestones.
She'll step up the ladder with His Guidance only to glorify Him.
And it's every good soul's prayer unto HIM.
As the clock ticks and the bells ring
We're caught in the middle of a storm uncertain what tomorrow might bring.
The mundane feels heavy, the routine feels off;
Like a wave so strong you can't shake it off.
The packed halls reeking of a new stress,
Leaving us all stranded looking for a way out of the mess.
The future stands there dim and colored gray,
Appearing so far yet just a few rings away.
Crown of Effort by Otieno Elvis Gikoi
I have carried books through endless days,
Walked the long and winding ways.
From early dawn to fading light,
Hard work has been my guiding sight.
Exams have tested, lessons burned,
Through sleepless nights, the pages turned.
Each struggle carved a stronger me,
Each effort shaped my destiny.
Now the final year has come,
The race is near, the journey done.
I stand with courage, firm and true,
Hard work has brought me safely through.
No crown is won by idle hands,
No dream fulfilled by shifting sands.
It is the sweat, the will, the fight,
That lifts the future into sight.
Let me rise, with hope and cheer,
For hard work shines in my final year.
@ArtOfHeart
What did I not do to achieve it
What did I not do to be fit;
If its recommendation that I'm talking about,
What did I not do to receive it?
Days turned and so did the tide,
It was my turn to get on the jolly ride;
Didn't last too long though,
And all thats left now is sorrow to confide.
The earth says: you're too weak,
So drown into the ocean way too deep;
Believe me, I did get below the ground,
But it was hope there that i found.
Hope said: If its not right,
its not the end;
Its not just the bird that flies,
You too will, just aim for the skies.
And that made me ask myself out,
That "Am I really BOARDED OUT?"
My Funny Valentine
There once was a lover so fine,
Whose snores sounded like a bad vine,
She'd sleep with a grin,
And I'd laugh from within,
And our love would forever be mine.
Graduation Categories
Read wonderful graduation poetry on the following sub-topics:
college, daughter, day, friends, funny, high school, inspirational, middle school, religious, teacher, son, student,
and more.
Definition | What is Graduation in Poetry?
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