Leisureliness Hanging above Shaw College

Overarching branch
and its green leaves hang
with bare, brittle twigs
reaching back to earth—
life’s shadowed, sunlit
tree—
and growing strong
between those darker hills
Shaw College finds its place.
Soft pastel sky sheds
its influence there
on hostels that appear
remote—
in that fading light.
Distance makes subtle
the effects of tone.
We hear no voices
of the young; insects
and birds mute, hidden.
He reveals
with exactitude
nature’s vague effects
in his artist’s work.
At computer screens
the young discover
pathways to what’s new.
Collegiate,
the branches of trees
of knowledge meet here,
intertwine, and grow;
the students’ prospects
blossom every year.
Our graduations
make an offering
to parents, self, and life.