The end
It's almost upon me
Approaching like a cheetah
I cannot escape

The night I get dressed up
With a gown around me
The hat on my head
The tassels

The cords around my neck
Strangling me
Making it hard to breathe
The words escaping

I don't want this night to come
The stage lights producing sweat
As I walk across to receive a piece of paper
Saying I made it
I survived

I'm meant to celebrate
The end of my journey
The end of the hell
All my classmates put me through

But that night
When I move my tassel
Will be the beginning
Of my goodbyes

There have been very few
To be by my side
To encourage me
To love me

While some leave with me
To places unknown
I must leave some back
To survive alone in this ring of fire

I won't survive the night
Without tears down my face
Without choking on my words
My fears

How do you tell someone
That you love them
And that they alone
Have helped you live

No one said goodbyes were easy
But now I know what they mean
I feel it in my heart
The emptiness
The loneliness

So I walk towards my teacher
Thinking about my friends
Grab the diploma
And cry