Knowledge has a price

It hides in dreary books and

Time sacrificed

Rolling your eyes

Brushing away the confounded dust

From words and lessons irrelevant.

And how quickly I worked

To treasure every word

To escape the starless void I've become

To hate.

But it was in the people

The mentors

The wrinkled trees of age

Who sought to teach, and educate

But above all else

Despite the great heights they already go to

They caught me when I fell

Always

Always.

To have the strength

And wisdom

To hug with such love

Never have I met

The same kind of safety nets

I know I can fall on without getting stuck.

There is love, and for now they're enough

To brighten up the sky

The stars that help me shine

Even when I'm lost in the dark

And beyond love

They have given me wisdom

A telescope

To show that life

Is not equal to the sum of its parts

Rather, you have to know

How to take it apart

Rearrange, adjust

Change not under the pressure of the dark

But in spite of what you've been given

Reach for what you deserve

That's what my teachers taught

And I daresay the worth

To squint through the dust

And find a better world--

Oh, if only you knew where to look

For a sign that

Greater times are ahead.

-the student

For all of those life-changing teachers out there, thank you. <3