The School of Life

Today I came through the main entrance.
In the morning, I learned to walk, learned to talk.
“This is blue, this is a tree”
Shapes and numbers,
Before I knew it,
I knew how to add
And how to spell.

At noon I learned how to hold hands.
I was kissed, I was hugged,
And I learned what it meant to be a man.
I made some bad choices,
I drank, I smoked,
But I learned how to grow up.

In the afternoon I created my own life,
I learned how to love,
I learned how to sacrifice.

In the evening I learned,
When to stop and smell the roses.
I learned what’s important,
If there was a test, I could have passed.

My children are in their own afternoon
As I enter my nightfall.
My grandchildren love me,
This I know is true.

They may forget me someday,
Just a silhouette,
As I walk toward the exit,
Of this school we call Life.