University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 29 text:

Time, Texts and Tension Tension creeps in everywhere, like a quivering shroud Which mantles a mysterious, masked item called The Exam. Even the most happy-go-lucky student pauses while partying, Suddenly faced with a grim realization; Finals are coming! Now there is no stopping the racing hands of the clock; Lights blaze forth a wordless desperation far into the night. Every library is thronged with pressure-driven students. They peer intently at heavy tomes and illegible notes, Lamenting the important lectures they so heedlessly cut And the readings which gathered dust on the bookshelf. Nerves, nerves. They twist a lock of hair; bite their lips; Chew pencils to splinters; light still another cigarette. Some find themselves glancing restlessly about at friends, Or becoming irritated by the incessant rustle of papers. They flee to their rooms: rigid and motionless at a desk, Curled up on their beds, or sprawled across a scatterrug, They scan and memorize, cramming sixteen weeks into hours. The dread days arrive: Each classroom is a sea of bent heads. Time flies, marked by chalked scratches on a blackboard. Soon the ordeal ends; halls echo with laughter; hope returns.

Page 28 text:

As the term paper deadline looms close, the process of dragging heavy tomes from dusty shelves and scrawling volumes of pertinent facts begins. Although some students manage to do last-minute studying in the Mason Hall alley, most succumb to temptations. Baby ' s antics ore more interesting than bluebook cramming, pausing to watch provides pleasant break.

Page 30 text:

Meditations and the Muses Trapped among the unfeeling tangles of modern technology, The esthetic mind strains to make itself heard and felt. It answers machinery ' s monotonous roar with a sweet song; It pits gentleness and grace against chill steel. Each artistic endeavor struggles to strike a balance Between man ' s abstract emotions and concrete experiences. The creative dancer gracefully interprets his inner feelings Through soul-searched movement in space. The painter dabbles with vibrant colors on pebbled surface:. He cocks his head to one side and squints appraisingly; His meaning is inscrutable to others he must satisfy self. The sculptor ' s strong sensitive fingers mold a lumpy mass Into a fine-textured work of sweeping mobility. Blue veins stand out in bas-relief: Smudged faces contort from the strain of seeking originality. The musician pours out a torrent of emotion through his work, His instrument the vehicle for conveying deep feelings. Music is the obbligato to his everyday life; Pages of black notes become living entities. Perhaps he tries his hand at composition. While staring at the ordered staves on the manuscript page Ideas leap to mind; in almost frantic joy he sets them down. The writer crouches over his typewriter, lost in thought. He searches the fathoms of memory for elusive impressions. He walks through crowded streets and untrammeled lanes, In sparkling sunlight, oppressive fog and pelting rain; Then scurries home to translate surroundings into words. Although standing in the shadows of a materialistic world, These creative minds are an integral part of that society, Creating, building, synthesizing a basic philosophy of life.