Open love letter to education:
Aware are they,
Yes, I declare, they comprehend,
They grasp.
They understand your might,
They fathom how you mold destinies.
They recognize the impact on a wandering minds you have.
They discern the way you sway a tender heart.
They are aware,
I insist, they truly are,
They acknowledge.
Do you fathom how I perceive their awareness,
Observe the price one pays for your embrace,
Witness who claims the privilege of your presence,
Mark those who stand as sentinels for your essence?
They are aware, I repeat, they truly are.
Yet, what eludes their knowledge is the benevolence you bestow,
The enrichment you bring to lives and families alike,
The connection you forge, leading souls to find the divine.
I know,
I assert, I truly know,
I am cognizant.
What they remain oblivious to is how our paths crossed,
Encountering you at the tender age of thirteen,
In the realm of science, beneath the lens of a microscope.
Gazing upon onion skins, apple peels, potato slices, and cucumber epidermis,
That moment, a revelation dawned - a glimpse of God's splendor, evident under the microscope.
I know,
I affirm, I truly know,
I am cognizant.
And now, I pledge to you,
To remind them of your omnipotence,
To echo across rooms the awareness we share.
As long as breath animates my being,
I shall advocate for you, I shall amplify your prowess.
I will proclaim, atop hills and through valleys,
The wonders you wrought in my life and every mind touched by your grace.
Do you grasp why I am so certain?
Because education, a divine bestowment upon humanity,
An offering from God to his creation.
Gratitude for your daily miracles,
And for this annual gathering that allows us to revel in your power,
As you continue to shape the destiny of generations yet unborn.
We know,
I insist, we truly know,
We acknowledge today!
Sahara Omar. LMFT.
Writer, therapist, and student Sahara Omar graduates this month with a Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (DMFT) degree from our Department of Counseling and Family Sciences. You can find more of her poetry on Instagram at @sahara.poetry.