No Title College Submission Piece Poem by Rose Marie Cook

Pushing through,
Falling behind,
Running running
Out of time.

Passing first,
Sprinting towards second,
Years flash by.

Knowledge accumulating,
Building a path,
Leading you forward.

Great successes
Written down,
Stories told
For centuries on,
Again and again.

The adventure begins.

Gaining momentum,
Hurled beneath
The dust of competition,
Climbing up
Carefully not
To break the ladder rungs,

Efforts praised
Raising you higher.
Exceeding limits,
Overcoming struggles,
A debt to be paid,
After you improve yourself.

Self-worth
Beating down your door,
Faith
Breathing down your neck,
Confidence
Leaking out your body,
Slowly, drip by drop.

Back- breaking labor,
Dragging on,
Going to finish,
No matter what.

Whether I'm broken down
Or sad and hurt,
I'll never back down,
I have too much worth.

I'll prove myself
to you and my friends
But more importantly
I'll show myself
I can win.