finally, a day has become remarkable,
medium marshes bless the broad stage,
i sit in stiffened chairs,
my mind as royal as my gown
as i'm surround by my peers
and a bigger audience,
i daydream memories,
wonders of the wisdom i somewhat found,
20%from bookwork,
40% from my classmates,
30% from my damn self
and 10% from adults that wish they were me for some reason,
i sit listening to my principle from time to time,
my heart plays bass for the ban
as i gaze into the deep blue sea background,
that's my focus as the lower superiors
of my success and being here gloat with smiles
like they indeed taught me
math and science and english,
like they subsituted my electives,
like they lived through my class's hell,
the memories spring with such laughter
and creativity,
too many to count but too less than few before us,
from fights to pranks,
secrets to lies,
girlfriends to boyfriends,
good deeds to broken promises,
these 4 years have been soemthing
great and terrible,
depressing and sweet,
fun and sad,
but somehow, we are all here,
with a few extras,
for almost 7 years,
some 4,
some 12,
some 13,
some forever
we have traveled together,
attacked and been attacked
by something that seemed so intriguing and free,
but we ended up paying and praying to get out,
but for 2 hours out of the possible 17, 284 hours or more
of our lives
that we have had together or apart
in books,
magazines,
newspapers,
jungle gyms,
water fountains,
nap sacks,
first kisses,
monkey bars,
cafeterias,
food fights,
commons area,
games,
circuses,
events,
concerts,
pranks,
schemes,
orientations,
end of grade test,
exams,
libraries,
ditch parties,
after school parties,
parties,
check out slips,
dances,
learning labs,
choices,
detention,
after school detention,
saturday school,
skipping,
sex,
prom,
after prom,
now this graduation,
we are as one,
sit as one,
stand as one,
but walk as many,
feet on the wood grain gym floor,
heart in our throats,
some in the bleachers
and as focus as we are,
our minds are beyond this gym,
my unit stands,
sweating like rain from yesterday,
shirts moisted as morning dew,
i still walk,
still pimp,
vision blurred from the tassle that keeps hitting my right eye,
but i still see where i need to go,
i approach the steps,
hear my name from the audience,
"you go, boy"
"my baby"
"whack"
"uncle li"
i take one step to the beginning of a new future,
leave behind the old past,
"Decarrus Balik Whack",
one second my mind goes blank,
the next i shake my principal's hand as he hands me my heart back
and a fake diploma,
the gym looks a lot brighter now,
cant tell if it's from the flashs
or how i feel,
my dream has finally become reality,
i came here to honor and sit with the past and memories,
i leave here, stepping into the real world once again