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.
Copyright © Helen Deberri | Year Posted 2015
|