You Are the Village · 12 June 2012
It takes a village, or so they say;
You do not just get older, then move away.
You follow examples of people you know.
You get their advice, on where you should go.
But as you grow up, you listen and learn:
There are those out there to whom you can turn,
There are others with whom you spend not a minute,
For what they say has no wisdom in it.
You watch and you find a mentor or two,
People who take a great interest in you.
More than your parents or just family,
Are guiding you to be who you want to be.
Teachers and preachers and friends all abound,
They all want to keep you, oh, so safe and sound.
They pour their lives into you, don’t you see?
They all have an interest in who you will be.
For as you grow up, part of the village you’ll be,
A new grown up for the whole world to see.
You’ll be there for the young ones, as up they grow,
You’ll help them to know, the things they should know.
So as you grow up, remember that you
Were always in need of an example or two.
And remember the adage, still true today,
“Your actions are so loud, I can’t hear what you say.”
For now you are someone to whom people go,
When there is something that they ought to know,
Because you are the village, starting today,
Even if you grow up, and just move away.
© 2012 Michael T. Miyoshi
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Follow Your Dreams · 7 June 2007
Follow your dreams, don’t ever say “no”
For dreams are the places that you want to go
Dreams are the sights that you want to see
Dreams are the person that you want to be.
Dreams are the stars in the sky late at night
But not just as scenery shining so bright
Rather places to go if they call out to you
If being an astronaut is what you want to do.
Dreams are the plans that you and I make
For houses and cottages out at the lake
For fishing and swimming and lounging around
On those country vacations oh so far from town.
Dreams are designs that we have for our lives
Who we might take for our husbands, our wives
What occupations that we might like to take
Dreams are not just about all the money we make.
No, dreams tell us our passions, our wants, our desires
They give us our goals to which we all aspire
They give us our strength when things go so wrong
And they give us the hope to write a new song.
Yes, dreams give us courage to live life with passion
And being a dreamer never goes out of fashion
For dreamers make life more than just what they see
So follow your dreams and be what you want to be.
© 2007 Michael T. Miyoshi
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A Poem for Graduates and Dreamers
Under Friday Night Lights · 5 October 2006
Under Friday night lights, from east coast to west
Players put on football gear to determine who is the best
They put on all their pads, their helmets, their cleats
While rap, punk, or rock in the locker room beats
Some players seek quiet to get up for the game
Others pound on each other while doing the same
They get into the “zone” in their own unique ways
Each knows it is he who will make the big plays
Under Friday night lights, while the players get ready
The flow of the fans to the game remains steady
There are fathers and mothers and students and teachers
Who will sit all night long on uncomfortable bleachers
Sometimes the fan base includes the whole town
And they all settle in to watch the first down
They are rowdy and raucous; they are there for the game
And on each autumn Friday each town is the same
Under Friday night lights, the band plays The Star Spangled Banner
Anticipation builds and the crowd starts to chatter
It is almost kickoff time and the teams take the field
Each knows that the other never will yield
They will fight like true warriors trying to guard their own turf
They kick, run, and throw on the grass or the turf
They will play four long quarters and sometimes even more
And when they are done, bodies and souls will be sore
Under Friday night lights, with the game on the line
Fans yell at the refs without reason or rhyme
But the roar of the crowd and the calls of the ref
Do not affect the players; it is like they are deaf
They run and they tackle and they play really hard
They are bumped and they’re bruised just to gain a few yards
They never let down though they might make some mistakes
They still play out their hearts; they give whatever it takes
Under Friday night lights, when the game is all done
One team will have lost while the other team won
On the fifty-yard line they will shake each other’s hands
Then the players will gather as the fans empty the stands
‘Round their coaches they’ll kneel as steam rises from their heads
They’ll listen then give pause to what their coaches have said
Then they will reluctantly leave after hugging each other
The game truly has made them a close band of brothers
When Friday night lights have faded into the past
You won’t remember the number of yards that you passed
But you’ll remember the words that your old coach said,
“Winning is more than the score; it is what’s in your head.”
“Attitude makes you a winner,” he said before every game.
“Win or lose, I will love you. Proud of you, I’ll remain.”
Those words will remain not the sounds or the sights
Of all the football games played under Friday night lights.
© 2006 Michael T. Miyoshi
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Published 05 October 2006 in The RiverCurrentNews
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