How did I get here?
Yesterday was my first day of school
I think I blinked and now I’m done
It’s really almost cruel

My eyes were open before the sun
could wink its first few rays
Went through my usual morning routine
It was just another day

But suddenly my shoes didn’t fit
My dress was way too tight
My gown looked wrinkled and needed an iron
Makeup wouldn’t sit quite right

“Today of all days!” I though in dismay
I tried to take a deep breath
I started to sweat, started to fret
Oh but it wasn’t over yet

“I know I signed up months ago!”
Now I was starting to panic
“I’m sorry,” she said, “You’re not on the list!”
I think I’m going to be sick

Truth be told, I was dreading this day
Long before it came
It meant the end of what I knew
Where everything was the same

I’m standing on the precipice of change
The long and winding road that is the rest of my life
Looming large and unfamiliar
Past and future balanced on the point of a knife

It’s all worked out, I step in line
Pomp and Circumstance ringing in my ears
No time to look, no time to run
Time to face the music, face the fears

The lights are blinding, I squint and stare
I look up and I finally see
All the people in the world I love
Come all this way for me

The show is a blur I can barely remember
Laughing and crying all the while
With careful steps I cross the stage
Accept my diploma with a smile

It’s not so bad on the other side
I cautiously consider
What was I so afraid of?
(Besides getting old and bitter)

“You’ll be chasing that high forever,
All downhill from here,” they say
Your life doesn’t end after school
It starts on Graduation Day