Graduation
We will read like our lives depended on it
Because to many of us, we assumed it did
And then we will pass, or fail or sit on the fence
Regardless, we will graduate
What happens next?
We'll trudge home, the bitter sweetness of it all clawing at our hearts
Many of us will jump or scream or cry or all of the above
And it will take a while before we finish the next phase of education
It will take a while before we sort ourselves out
There will be loud times
Times of lively bodies, with tranquillity only being a distant memory
Times of 9 to 5s creating a storm in our minds to match our bodies
And we may not be able to explain
Explain the storms we feel
We will claw at our hearts and heads
Trying to rearrange the pieces
Trying to make it all make sense
And it will take a long time
At many points we may feel we finally got it
The job, the house, the dreams
But that is when we will realize we are changing
When we begin to speak a little louder and walk a little prouder
We may not initially understand just how fast we are growing
Until the world falls silent
And we are left at peace with ourselves, God
And whatever rags we dragged along the way
Until we begin to accept the things we used to run away from
And reject those we held so close
We will have many bandages and scars
Making us look like we are newly wounded
When in reality, our wounds are just beginning to heal
Until we are not afraid to fall short
Just as much as we are not afraid to succeed
Accepting every part and fibre or our being
That we were once told to despise or be ashamed of
Until we gradually fall into the grace of growing older
When we try to piece our lives together like a giant puzzle
Reminiscing the good and the bad
Rehearsing the tales we will tell our children and grand children
Until many many years later, our bodies sink into the ground
Just the same way so many more will
And all that is left is the shadow of the life we lived
And the invaluable footsteps we left in the sands of time
That's when everything will all make sense
The beginning, the journey, the destination
Copyright © Esther Bewaji | Year Posted 2023
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