I have fulfilled my life’s mission;
I haven’t worked without a vision.
When I left the portals of my school
I felt my mind was never so cool.
To be a teacher and to be retired
Is the end of a mission, a service not hired,
Through thick and thin have I served
The youth of my land, never unnerved.
I find before me the end of my road;
For a well-earned rest I put down my load.
Where shall be my haven, if not my home,
There shall I rest and no more roam .
To be with children- that was a pleasure,
To be with books- that was a treasure,
The thoughts of them will linger in my mind,
Nothing sad, nothing cruel will lurk behind.
O children, O brethren, adieu to you,
Your company have I missed for nothing new;
Oft in vacant or in pensive mood,
My soul will yearn to fill that solitude.
(Written in 1978 at the time of retirement)