The End Of 13 Years

• Mong Nguyen, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2008

forseen to be the epitome of graduates by our parents,
pins us down with expectations and hopes for the future
what are we to do?
we fear failure but we fear disappointment more

like sheep, each day we follow a shepherd guiding us through school life,
with them we have no worries
but like cattle awaiting death, when the end is near we begin to wonder,
to fear, what waits ahead we do not know

we pick out our future acting like we know what we want to be,
like the wise fools we are we let the cool fire of hope burn,
we let it burn within ourselves and in those around us,
just to reassure doubt and create a sense of security

hope is what makes us feel like success will come,
but the fear of failure knocking on our front door hours earlier is always a possibility,
"think positively and success will come" we tell ourselves,
but no matter what the cloud of doubt always trails not far behind,

time is running out and still we have no bullet - proof plan,
we look for answers in the oddest of places,
some to God, others to Buddha and if desparate maybe even the world wide web,
but no matter how far we seek the answers are not always given,

miracles happen,
epiphanies occur,
but not all are equal,
some find the holy grail while others continue to live the life that was already chosen,

unsatisfied,
uninterested,
depressed,
or optimistic?

people chose the wrong path all the time and correct them when the time comes,
if we take the wrong path now can we change later?
would it be too late a relisation or is there still hope?
we wonder before the year ends how our lives will turn out,

we say we chose our lives for ourselves but is it really?
the careers we say we want to achieve, is it really our passion or just an obligation?
what is really the meaning of life?
why must we grow up?

"finally we finish school" we scream from the rooftop, but is it really what we want?
the security of the school has always protected us so why do we want out?
maybe we are like prisoners that have faced more than thirteen years in prison, institutionalised,
thinking we want to be free but secretly afraid to face society,

no matter how much we question time still runs by,
we still live our lives,
what lays ahead we do not know,
what we will do is also a mystery.

but we hope that there is always a back door incase we wish to turn back.