Mark Valenti

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To Graduate or Not to Graduate

 

To graduate, or not to graduate, that is the question:

Whether 'tis better to endure the contempt of homework

And suffer through the sleepless nights,

Or to walk away from this ongoing burden of studies,

And simply forget about the thin piece of paper,

Which we lose our sanity pursuing.

 

Do our studies and ultimately our future, rest upon nothing more than a document, with our names on it?

No more than just a certificate?

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To walk across the stage

Would certainly be what many parents would favor.

For it is evident that there are none paying dues for nothing.

The joyful applause would be fairly respectable at the least,

And the ceremony would be a fitting conclusion for this

Stage of formal education,

But, the continued work that must occur,

Will be painfully extensive. Ay, there's the issue; To simply stop studying would be not just easier, but more profound.

 

When the day comes about,

With the stage set up,

With the gowns being worn,

And the tassel being turned,

It will be far too humiliating

To watch the event as a guest,

And be forced to see my peers

Obtain that document.

For I must keep striving,

For I must continue,

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Nothing great is accomplished

By conceding early.

I will walk across the stage.