Knowledge has a price
It hides in dreary books and
Time sacrificed
Rolling your eyes
Brushing away the confounded dust
From words and lessons irrelevant.
And how quickly I worked
To treasure every word
To escape the starless void I've become
To hate.
But it was in the people
The mentors
The wrinkled trees of age
Who sought to teach, and educate
But above all else
Despite the great heights they already go to
They caught me when I fell
Always
Always.
To have the strength
And wisdom
To hug with such love
Never have I met
The same kind of safety nets
I know I can fall on without getting stuck.
There is love, and for now they're enough
To brighten up the sky
The stars that help me shine
Even when I'm lost in the dark
And beyond love
They have given me wisdom
A telescope
To show that life Is not equal to the sum of its parts
Rather, you have to know
How to take it apart
Rearrange, adjust
Change not under the pressure of the dark
But in spite of what you've been given
Reach for what you deserve
That's what my teachers taught
And I daresay the worth
To squint through the dust
And find a better world
Oh, if only you knew where to look
For a sign that
Greater times are ahead.
Jennifer Lam