By making us stop for a moment, poetry gives us an opportunity to think about ourselves as human beings on this planet and what we mean to one another. I wrote the following poem for my eighth grade students in the spring of 1999; however, it is a poem that is really for all my students past and present. It is dedicated to my students and all the teachers, family members and friends who care about young people.
by Patricia Rose
On the day
When the world turns from you and
Shadows steal the light,
And you stumble in the dark,
Remember those who believed in you.
On the day
When you hesitate to step forward toward your own horizon,
When you doubt your dreams and
You stand before a closed door,
Remember those who placed the future in your young hands.
On the day
When your wish for wisdom exceeds your need for reason,
When you look for the truth that will explain your life, and
There are questions in your heart,
Remember those who taught you to value the search.
Then on the day
When a wreath of laurel is placed upon your head,
When you thrust strong arms into joyful skies, and
You lift your face to the warming sun,
Remember those who gave you a compass
So that you could chart your course among a complexity of stars.