Page 126 - 2016 Wardlaw Hartridge

Dear Seniors,
I cannot believe the time has come again for a ceremonial farewell poem in your honor. The poem b e l o w i s b y M a r y >O l i v e r , a p e r e n n i a l f a v o r i t e p o e t o f m i n e . I t i s p e r h a p s o v e r - d r a m a t i c f o r t h e p u r p o s e , as I do not truly believe that in setting forth into your new worlds you actually need to save your own life. But you indeed do need to set a courseforward with greater self-reliance and independence, and thus to make your own life. I hope in your time at W-Hyou have found and developed the inner strengths you need to do so. / have great confidence that you will build well on the foundations you have set
The Journey
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began though the voices around you kept shoutin
their bad advice-
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend your life!"
each voice cried
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do, through the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations, though their meancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
J882^
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do- determined to save
the only life you could save.
With all best wishes
Andy Webster H ead o f School