A 2013 Salutation

Good evening parents, family, and friends who have convened from far and near

We stand here today loud and proud to commemorate this special year

We owe our presence here today to those who have shaped our lives

The utmost gratitude we must pay as our conclusion here arrives  

Thank you friends for being our light that shines in our darkest hour

The yin to our yang, the punch to our line, the fuel to our breathtaking power

Thank you teachers for challenging us and being our personal advisers

We are grateful for the knowledge we’ve gained which we hope has made us wiser

Thank you parents for your nurturing love with which we have learned to thrive

Your lessons will be engraved in our hearts; for success we will always strive

Okay, I’m going to switch gears now, a story I wish to tell

It is one I’ll always remember and I hope it will serve you all well

Our badminton team is not known for its glory, but it still holds much value to me

It taught me that victory is not only important; the proper attitude was also key

Together, our team traveled to CIF and I knew we weren’t the best

Regardless of the dismal odds, I decided to play with zest

The beginning was slow, my partner and I had regrettably lost the first set 

But oh what a comeback! The tables were turned and we were now the threat

Our synergy empowered us as our court we were defending

This story, however, does not conclude with a happy fairy-tale ending 

Our hearts were pounding; we were so close to success, only mere points away

In a blink of an eye, I miss, it’s over, and we then parted ways 

Our lunges, smashes, drives, and sweat were all to no avail

My mind was asking: Why give it your all? If after all, you’ll only fail

There will come a time in our lives when failure we will face

Lost in the shadows of confusion and trapped within a maze

Blows to the heart may be devastating and often leave us overtaken

But those who find comfort in lonesome depression are often sadly mistaken!

Sure, there’ll be obstacles along the way and hardships without a doubt

But remember, inside us burns a fire the likes of which never goes out

So don’t give up when all hope is lost in the frigid and lonesome night

Keep your head up; we all posses the power to turn on the light

We must keep the mind calm and realize that failure is only a grand test

Each little slip-up, error, and fault will make us the very strongest!

So don’t get caught up with the dark side of life, don’t carry all of that weight

It is the modest things in life that we must learn to appreciate

Snap out of your despondent daze, we must wake up at any cost

We must learn to see what we still have, not what we have lost

Well now I’m out of ideas and I’ll soon be out of rhymes

I think I’ll cut to the chase now, since I’m running out of time 

We must continue to move forward, sprint to success, with the utmost motivation

After all, this world is but a canvas to our imagination

We must strive to reach glory and conquer the skies; in danger we must stand tall

Our grand voyage through life is only beginning; we must promise to give it our all!

So as we assemble here at the denouement, it is time to take the scene

Thanks for the memories and congratulations class of 20-13!