Response to my Freshman Self

by Jakob Sherrard 

The first of these poems was one that I wrote as a freshman. Deciding that my tone was rather self-righteous, I determined that I needed to supply a response to my jaded younger-self, and provide some insight that I feel I have since learned. Calm down little man, the world is not as bleak as you once believed.

    The Ghost of Your Lack of Purpose

Walking in fields of light,
Surrounded by illusions of grandeur
The pale face of the ghost enveloping your spirit.
Do your folly acts impress you?
Can you feel the truth behind being alive?
Perhaps not.
Maybe you live through these seeping lies,
Searching for an inkling of purpose you’ll never find.
Maybe you live to be folly.
Maybe you live to die.

    A Reminder that the Holy Ghost is a ‘Ghost’ Too

Why do we tell ourselves ghosts are scary?
Perhaps the best one can do is fall head-on into the illusions.
Rather than lies, we tell ourselves what we need to hear.
It’s a necessary break from mundanity to live boldly.
We act, not to impress ourselves, but rather to make it by.
Maybe we don’t live to be folly.
Really, we live to give.
We live to teach.
We live to learn.
We live to love.

Jakob Sherrard is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2023. He is studying political science and history.