Oh! Finally the day comes
Classes terminate
Lessons cease
Everybody, break the lines
No more are we students!
For a while at least.
The class continues
But in life.
Education is endless yes.
Knowledge knows no limits
Of course!
No bounds.
No stops.
Continue exams
But in other spheres
Concrete are the grades
Society judges
Society evaluates
Society absolves, society condemns
Failures?
They may even be worse
Than they were in class!
You’ve graduated yes
But then comes the test
Then begins the point
How much have you learnt
You’ll be judged for that.
How much have you grasped
Of what you’ve been taught
What do you remember
Of what said the teacher?
Studies are worthwhile
If made practical
If applied as useful
Not mere formalities
Not mere registers
Not mere certificates
Nor grades or awards
I just finished school
But already I feel
Nostalgia, longingness
Of my days in class
Of my stay with friends
Of my love for my mates
I feel nostalgia
Fondness
The atmosphere in class
The period, the lessons
The instructor’s face
The instructor’s truth
The issues he raises
The inquiries he makes
The assignment, the quizzes
I feel nostalgia
Homesickness
Of the entire campus
Of the garden and fields
Evergreen fresh
Full of flowers
Of all sorts, species
Full of arbusts and trees
That count decades.
Of the good old springs
The walls, fences, gates
The ex-palace grounds.
I feel nostalgia
Of the queues for the meals
In the café and
Of the noise in these halls
Of the ups and downs
The stairs in the dorms.
I feel nostalgia
Of the anxious days
That precede exams
Remember those times?
Some forget breakfast
No time for certain meals
Little for the showers
Rest is sacrificed
Some even miss their bed
To cover all the text
To prepare the test
To finish, exhaust it
Digest and assimilate
So no surprise springs
When you face exams
Sleep is so shortened
Students lose their weight
They lose their appetite
They only see one thing
They only feel one thing
They only fear one thing
Exams are beginning
Exam bells ring
So books are my pillows
My mattress, my bedsheets
Texts are my blankets
Everywhere I see books
In reality and dreams
I hardly shut my eyes
I hardly relax
Until exams close
Until the worry lasts.
Everywhere I see notes
Everywhere I see books
The fear is palpable
The worries are real
The anxiety tangible
Of the days of exams.
Students go in search
Of all the times they lost
In the campus and out
Of all the notes they kept
Of all the nights they slept
When exams are in sight
When semesters at last
Are near to terminate.
But once exams are over
Here is then another
For which we all bother
The results and grades
That decide our fates.
The ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘F’s
The terror of students
The news and rumours
Abound about grades
How many A’s
How many F’s
Who succeeds?
And who fails
Smiling faces
Congratulations
And there are the upsets
Who condemn their teachers?
And never do accept
The results that they get
One feels disappointed
To be forced to repeat
A course already did.
How hectic all those days
How sad all those hours!
All of this anxiety
All of these emotions
Will one day terminate?
Vanish in memories
Leaving their traces
In your soul and feelings
Once you graduate
Once you leave your school
Away it all passes
With all these sentiments
Away it all passes
Away it all washes
You graduate at last
A new life is to start
You have a new target
To cope with a new test
For all those school days
Society had waited
For such a blessed date
Your family had waited
The sacrifice they made
The hardship they faced.
Now begins your turn
To join hands and efforts
In family affairs
In societies’ lives.
You practice your skills
You have now the big chance
To repay all your debts
To bow in gratitude
To your parents and friends
You need a lot of luck
You need a lot of trust
In your acts and endeavour
So congratulations
And best wishes my friends!
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 11 August 2019
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
