An Appropriate Poem (Sidebar)

After the post from yesterday, I realized that I had written something similar before. I use the poetry of others to help explain my point, but I also create my own - - this poem was written for a class I took a year ago. It's called a BOP, and you use the refrain from a song to help illustrate your point. I chose Paolo Nutini's song entitled 'Last Request', and I think it's appropriate. Enjoy (or don't).

The BOP
Jessie Ruckman

Heaving deep breath before I dunk my head and dive
Back under icy academic waters and steals my breath.
Write an article, edit this, run that, design page 1.
Perform CPR, I need and EKG – Jessie where are you?
Run! From the uneasy waking moment, diving back
under water. No time to steal a breath.
But I’m no wiser than the fool that I was before.

Dashing wildly through my life, forgetting that I am
Alive. School, work, school, sleep. Dive, breathe
Dive again. Slipping under water, give my condolences
To life, hold breath, putting world on pause
While I strive for something better.
Holding breath, lungs exploding, learning begins
And I balance and begin to breathe.
Slowly, wearily.
But I’m no wiser than the fool that I was before.

And another day of stifled panic revealed
One thing about who I am is that,
Head under water, pushed to the point
Of break or become;
I’ll beg for the punishment of no sleep and no life.
All for that piece of graduated paper.
But I’m no wiser than the fool that I was before.