October Day Salute
by Mary Diamond
can be summed up in a sentence;
To benefit the race of man
with thoughtful independence,
To keep the dark of ignorance
from clouding up our vision,
To stand the watch with vigilance
and learn from each decision.
We look to you to represent,
Dear president and tutors,
A lifetime worth of study spent
from inkwells to computers.
A life which does not disregard
the benefit of living,
But credits poets, clowns and bards
the lessons they are giving.
Our courses and our campus
smack of Liberal Arts forum
But do not for a moment
lack tradition or decorum.
October day has come again
and those who gather here,
From those who dare to lift a pen
to those who lend an ear,
Are welcome now to be a part
of this inauguration;
Our president, with open heart,
is welcomed to his station.
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Author's Note
I don't often write poetry, but we were given an assignment in my theater class at Rockford College (circa 2003 or so?) to recite a poem for October Day.
That year, the college had a new president (Paul Pribbenow), and we were welcoming him. I wrote this and recited it for the crowd, knees knocking the whole time.
Afterward, the president called me at home and asked permission to publish the piece in a school magazine... I agreed and sent a copy of it via email. The magazine printed something very similar, however editing or electronic gremlins had chopped off about half the poem and changed some lines.
Here's the original, for posterity's sake.
Other stories by Mary Diamond
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