Sir Adam Beck Secondary School - Lacedaemon Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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OPPORTUNITY I get discouraged now and then. When there are clouds of grey . . .Until I think about the things . . .That happened yesterday . . . I do not mean the day before ... Or those of months ago . . . But all the yesterdays in which.. I had the chance to grow . . . I think of opportunities . . .That I allowed to die . . .And those I took advantage of . . . Before They passed me by . . . And I Remember that the past . . . Presented quite a plight. . . But somehow I endured it and . . . The future seemed a 1 1 right . . . And I remind myself that I . . . Am capable and free . . . And my success and happiness. . . Are real ly up to me . MEDITATION May it be said of us that having come to an open door, we c losed it; having stood at the stair of learning, we refused to ascend it; having come to a lighted candle, we quenched it; having heard a brother begging bread, we denied h im . 67

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It seemed like a normal night. There had been a light sprink[e of rain, and a glossy sheen covered the downtown thoroughfare. In it were reflected the bright neon signs that flashed above. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but a substantial number of shoppers still straggled in the streets. An occasional pair of headlights sparkled in the clear night air. Over the entire scene lay a veil of serenity . Suddenly, four young members of the motorcycle set split the quiet temporarily as they raced through the downtown section. Irresponsible young punks, thought one storekeeper. Most shoppers didn ' t waste time thinking about it. There were so many other, more important things to worry about . In a short time the motorcyclists were back, but this time they stopped halfway down the street. With nothing more exciting to do, a nearby policeman became the target of their taunts and jibes. Suddenly their mood changed. With a snake-like smoothness they surrounded him. A few muffled thuds, an unheeded cry for help, and it was over. The motorcycles were remounted, and off they sped. Irresponsible young punks, thought one storekeeper. Most of the shoppers didn ' t waste time thinking about it. There were so many other, more important things to worry about . Overhead the neon lights flashed, and the rain started again. Rob MacMillan -Grade 10- Wei I , I ' ve been through almost two years of school , and very soon , (I hope), I ' ll become a member of that elite club known as the senior school . After long and hard years of apprent- iceship | am finally ready to start looking distinguished, aloof, and acquire in general the mark that sets the senior out from a junior. I will be required to change my whole line of thinking, for juniors (the downtrodden masses) will soon exist only to be despised and stepped on. Actually, before becoming sophisticate, debonair, and otherwise stamping myself in the mold of the senior, I wish to make it clear that there were advantages to being a junior. Firstly, you find that seniors expect juniors to act stupidly, because they are stupid, The senior is easily noticeable by his quiet and unruffled manner. A junior, on the other hand, is noisy, loud, and unclean. When first arriving at Beck, a junior is subtly informed of this fact, but are also told that if they work hard and keep their noses clean, they too might one day be- come a senior. But even if you try hard to imitate your superiors, being expected to be dumb can create interesting problems. After all, constantly being told that you are inferior and stupid leads some people to start thinking they are inferior and stupid . The real ization of this fact leaves a junior free to do stupid things. Such activities are severely frowned upon by seniors and the pre- fects are very deligent in rooting out the malfacters(new word recently picked up in French class) and making them confess their sins . Above it all, however, there exist an attitude of tolerance and resignation . After all they are only juniors, and what e Ise can you expect? . So, as I near the most dramatic experience in my life, and as I ready myself so that I, too, will be an example of good to the children of darkness, I reflect that, in spite of it all, being a junior wasn ' tall that bad . Rob MacMil Ian -Grade 10-

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REFLECTIONS Why did you hold your hand ' til now within the reach of mine? Was it your loss-your only link to love? When did you seep into reality and caress away my tear? Was it youth? Christina Dawson 13B BOYS Men in so many ways, Boys in so few , That is the way they want Us to think too . Bolster their ego, and Mention their charm, Say they are handsome- (It can ' t do much harm. . A shoulder to cry on, A smile or a tear Is what they expect, but Don ' t be fooled, dear They ' ll love you forever As a friend tried and true, But when seeking a sweetheart They ' ll overlook you. anonymous Let me walk alone through the forests of my mind, I take th is trip with no goal only a hope of peace and love; a desire to understand myself . Fred Lesser 13C 68