There is no test today in class;
it’s been called off, and you all pass.
The lessons it addressed are tired and old,
I’m told – no more required.
But someday, classes might start up again;
Then those who now are smart
may search in vain for today’s loss,
and not find it, but only dross.
So it might serve you well to learn
what’s in these books that brightly burn.
For future generations might require
the fire’s fuel more than light.
The grades we earn from today’s inaction
one day may do us in;
For knowledge is built upon roots, not soot,
and much depends on where the seed is put.
06 APR 2004
