Being a Senior, whether it’s in high school or in college, is always a bittersweet experience with the impending doom and freedom of graduation. I use both words because of course school can be exhausting and stressful, yet it’s the main way most of us get to spend time with our friends.
This is especially true while attending college as a commuter since half of my friends live within ten miles of my house and the other half live on-campus. Since I’m graduating early, I’m battling with my mixed emotions of having a nice break from school and missing the routine of seeing my friends nearly every day of the week. In the height of my sentimentality, I decided to dedicate one last article (and a poem) to my favorite people and memories from my time at Cal Lu.
Farewell Fireflies
I used to hate when summer came by
Because it meant saying goodbye to spring
Now I dread the months after winter passes
Because every firefly I found at school
Holds a memory I don’t want to lose
Firefly,
Will you remember the first time we met?
I formed a family with my pen,
Found your sisterhood on campus
And carried your smiles home with me
Firefly,
Will you remember how hard I tried?
Every time I asked to carpool
Was an invitation to share my space
We’d trade stories for free rides
And hold 10 concerts out the window
Firefly,
Will you remember my habits?
Treating everyone to combos and coffees
Because ‘no one starves on my watch’
It’s the way I’d make faces during self defense
Because I’d gladly fall if it made you laugh
Firefly,
Will you keep the gifts we exchanged?
A poem about roses to mend your heart
I’ll hold your necklace close to mine
And remember you in every sunset hike
Fireflies,
I hope you hold onto me just as closely
As every memory our history carries
As the end of our time together draws near
I’ll treasure the warmth of your light
What better way to close my time here than with a poem? To everyone I’ve had the joy of meeting and spending time with at Cal Lu, thank you for being a part of my life. As I once wrote for my high school graduation: “There are as many beginnings / As there are endings / And we must choose which ones we pursue / And what we make of them.”