a letter is all you are

So I should be studying Greek or finishing my paper on Friederich Schleiermacher's definition of religion as feeling or the pre-conceptual awareness that everything in this world is unified into a Whole through God. Nonetheless, I don't "feel" like doing that right now. Instead, I shall vent...

For those of you who know me, you know that I put my heart into my school work because I truly love learning and school. However, sometimes my love for learning is not reciprocated. I recently got a paper back in my historical theology class over John Wesley's doctrine of salvation. I wrote a great paper, but the TA did not read my paper with care. Thus, he said I didn't explain things that I had clearly explained. I am going to talk to my professor about this paper, but I was furious when I received my paper and read the TA's comments. Through my anger and frustration I began to ask, "Harris, why do you let a grade define who you are? Why does a letter on a paper or test give you an identity?" This was a profound epiphany for me because much of my self-image has been defined by the silly letters on papers and tests that I have written and taken. This is my attempt to break from this vicious cycle.

Thus, I came home on Sunday night, and in a fit of passion I wrote the following poem.

A letter is all you are.
Two or three strokes and a superfluous mathematical sign,
A letter is all you are.

No power do you have,
Despite what you may think.
A letter is all you are.

Have you defined me in the past?
Oh, I cannot doubt.
But I tell you now:
A letter is all you are.

Without ink on a page,
Without / or \ or – or | or 3 or +,
You have no existence.

You are mere speculation, an opinion.
I tell you now, you have no control over me
Because a letter is all you are.

peace

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Comments

Craig said…
Your TA can go straight to hell.
harris said…
that comment gave me a chuckle. hopefully my conversation with him on friday will be fruitful so that he won't have to go there.
good word, harris. i try to live by the philosophy of "C's get degrees" now...but somehow i can't satisfy myself with that theory...
brian vestal said…
new blog. whatever.
Paola said…
oh, harry. you are so much more than a letter.

my life has taken a quick turn. I will e-mail you soon.

MCAT on friday...think of me.

peace
farustar said…
nice poem!

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