Education

is an old-fashioned word.

It smells of musty books

in libraries

with mahogany shelving.

It’s in the pensive frown

of a gray-haired professor

as he makes a point in class

or studies a hefty book.

Education

is more:

learning to ride a bike

or to swim;

setting up house;

deciding who is trustworthy

and who is not;

singing in a choir and letting

exquisite harmonies

seep into your mind.

Education

can wound the spirit

or it can make your soul sing.

May your life be more like

a phoenix rising

than the ashes of despair

from which it comes.

Err on the side of joy.

–  Beth Wiltshire