I dreamed a life away from rules,
To live my way, with books, not school.
Enjoy a home where crickets sing,
And question what degrees could bring.

I sought a truth not found in class,
A way outside convention’s pass.
To live and learn beyond that gate—
At nineteen now, I would not wait.

 

I told my folks I’d take a year,
To leave the path they held so dear.
With powdered eggs and shovel bought,
I’d chase the core of life I sought.

 

No grades to chase, no classroom bell,
Just thoughts and trees and time to dwell.
For freedom felt a richer way
Than earning more some distant day.

 

I knew their love, I felt their care—
Approval hoping, not just a share.
Even though so bold and sure,
Still their “okay!” could I procure?

 

The woods, I claimed, were danger-free,
Compared to college misery.
To build, to fail, to kiss the dirt,
Felt better than how textbooks hurt.

 

A house once meant for baby chicks
Became my haven made of bricks.
My first kiss, a car, and job in town—
I even became a bit renown.

 

In the end, no career was found,
But more of life I had unbound.
What I learned no school could teach—
Living life beyond their reach.

I sought a truth not found in class,
A way outside convention’s pass.
To live and learn beyond that gate—
At nineteen now, I would not wait.