Farewell To The Census Bureau Poem by Natasa To

Farewell to the Census Bureau

Farewell to the halls, the work, and the days,
To countless forms and data-filled ways.
To numbers and people, to questions and charts,
To deadlines that tested our minds and our hearts.

We counted the nation, one story at a time,
Through mountains of figures and rows in a line.
Behind every number, a person stood—
A family, a dream, a neighborhood.

There were long days and laughter too,
Colleagues who helped when the work felt new.
The years moved quickly, as years always do,
And now comes the moment to say, "I'm through."

I leave with memories that time cannot erase,
Of familiar voices and each friendly face.
The work may be finished, my chapter now done,
But the road ahead waits beneath a new sun.

So here's to the Bureau, and all that we knew,
To the people and purpose that carried us through.
I'm closing this chapter, and heading out the door—
No more "see you Monday, " no more anymore.

With gratitude, pride, and a heart full of cheer,
I say my farewell after all these years.
The Census Bureau was part of my story—
Now I'm off to discover what comes next for me.

Goodbye to the work, the people, the days,
Goodbye to the countless statistical ways.
I'm leaving for good, but one thing is true:
The memories I made will always stay with me.