Eternal Graduation Poem by Vincent Feliciano

Like children in fear
Of their innocence lost
We all dreamed our dreams
At unlimited cost

But the reality of our hopes
Always seemed to be in vain
Because the hands of desparation
Left no ground for us to gain

Never seeing a way out
Would only feed our frustration
Like a hungry naked man
In the face of humiliation

And to the height of any challenge
We refused to climb at all
Because our hearts were far removed
By the fear that we might fall

But today we are free
To be the souls of all our dreams
As the fabric of our desires
Are held firmly at the seams

For with patient endurance
We reached a brand new plateau
Where our dignity and pride
Could have a real chance to grow

So let our yesterday's fears
Be a long forgotten past
As we face up to the challenge
Of life's new unending tasks

Like the stretching hands of time
We may never reach an end
But at least now we have the means
To fight back...to defend

For there may come a time
When our names are less than words
Our thoughts are never known
And our speech never heard

But in the time we have been given
Let us not forget this day
Because the price it cost
To get this far
Was a price only you could pay.