Author Archives: osa agbonlahor

Thankfully, the bad comes with a bit of good in the shape of friends and colleagues e.t.c. But I would rather not have to pretend to be happy at a college that pretends to encourage freedom of speech but the students have to organize a semi-violent protest simply to get their voices heard; where one can take an hour to think about it but still be unable to come up with a place to sit in solitude; and where the people employed to be at the front desk know even less than the people who approach them for information.

One of the questions we’re supposed to ponder while writing this is what we would do differently if we could redo this semester. That makes me crack up a bit  because I would rather [insert horribly painful experience here] than go back to the start of the year (even with my current knowledge).  As unimpressive as this semester has been, I wouldn’t go back and change it for anything. Don’t read that the wrong way: like Mr. Stephen King, I think “hell is repetition.” going back and reliving the events of this past semester (even with a different twist) definitely sounds like hell to me. I accept the things that went wrong and I choose to move on a leave them in my dust.

I’ve changed a bit since I started my higher education at Baruch College: most notably my goals for the future. Before I started school here, I always wanted to make a million dollars (just one single, lonely million) and move to somewhere quiet like Port Isaac in the UK where I could live my life slowly fading into peaceful silence and be free to do as I please. Now, I don’t care too much about making money because I realize money is literally nothing: I want power. My new goal is either to wait for the collapse of a society or buy it out and start a new regime of loving totalitarianism in which the rules are based on commonsense and keeping the citizens safe and not on individual “rights.” Either way, I’m free to do as I please. I’ll admit it sounds slightly evil but my schizophrenic other personality begs to differ. To everyone I met this semester and all the friends I made, we probably have no more classes together so I’ll say what I have to say right here: I’ll see you when I see you.

Note: I know this is a tiny bit more than 500 words but “my words shall not be contained!”

In a city with so many people, It’s hard to be original.

But I think that not to try should make one a criminal.

I came to this school with no expectation

–I suppose that’s akin to my generation–

I’ll admit that I didn’t want to attend

A school where I had not one single friend.

From high school, I mean. The people I knew well.

But then I thought “ah, what the hell.”

It’s been fun going here. Who would have thought?

I found friends and things for which I never sought.

Like the ability to get up, start an organization.

Yes, a new tradition. All of my creation.

I’ve found friends, met a star from ‘Psych.’

And a David Tennant look-alike.

It’s been great, I’ll admit. But not always fun.

I may have failed my last calc test. But, hey, at least it’s done.

I’m actually learning in most of my classes.

And I get to tell actors to get off their asses.

I’m beginning to learn even more about me.

High school really doesn’t help anyone, see?

In there it was hard to decide who I am.

And there really was no point to half the exams.

But now I can be free

To decide what to be.

And what I want to be, I know now, is victorious.

I want to win at simply everything and I want for you to say “yes, she is glorious.”

So now I end this mandatory speech.

I hope it didn’t sound like I was trying to preach.

And as my eyes with ambition gleam,

I just hope I don’t wake up to “sheesh y’all t’was a dream.”