Guest commentary: A poem to celebrate brighter days ahead

We overcame obstacles in this challenging year.

My fifth-grade year turned out to be crazy.

That made some of us a little bit lazy.

We lived our year in a pandemic,

Which really changed our academics.

We were staying home, Zooming our classes,

Wearing masks and staying away from the masses.

We missed many field trips,

And playing sports, too.

We sang “Happy Birthday” through Zoom with no tune.

We spent our vacations sitting at home

Following restrictions and abiding the law.

We missed seeing family,

We missed seeing friends,

We missed out on concerts and many events.

We protected our loved ones,

We protected ourselves,

And now things are turning;

Our future is bright,

We can finally see what’s coming to light.

As I look forward to my sixth-grade year,

I am excited for the new frontier.

I look forward to stepping my feet on a new campus

And starting from scratch like a new canvas,

With new interactions

And friends galore,

I am totally ready for a new year with more.

We overcame obstacles in this challenging year

And we became stronger, so let’s rejoice and cheer.

Kirra Patel is a fifth-grader and Student Council president at Torrey Pines Elementary School in La Jolla. ◆