The road to success and smarts is not as far as you think,

But you must focus, not much time remains to even blink,

For working hard shall reward your labours,

And lazing around shall not prove much on the papers,

Whatever your dream, whatever your aspiration,

Thomas Edison said “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% percent perspiration.”

This may sound cheesy to you but I assure you, dreams are no joke,

If one day you find yourself with no aim, you won’t be far from broke!

Not all of us can get lucky and win the lottery,

But we can focus on our mastery,

Whatever your talent may be, from an English expert to the next top athlete,

You need to remain as consistent as a healthy heartbeat,

There are no room for excuses in this world,

As you discover yourself your skills will have unfurled,

And can then proceed to turn into the person you always dreamt of,

You may turn around at this poem and scoff,

Unfortunately, there is no escaping the truth,

I write this poem to encourage the fellow youth,

For we are a generation filled with as many dreams and hopes,

As there are stars in the sky invisible from our telescopes,

I find it unfortunate that a group of us with so much potential be going to waste,

And for what we could have achieved, our future will never be able to taste,

Many more marvellous men and women have risen up to improve our world,

You shall discover yourself, your skills will be unfurled,

David Attenborough, Malala Yousafzai, Kailash Satyarthi,

Jane Goodall, Denis Mukwege Mukengere, Judi Bari,

And I ask you to join these remarkable people, these wondrous achievers,

And stop ourselves with the make believers, and push those dreamers,

For we can never be too great living on this humble abode,

All of us living by an ethical moral code,

I would like to leave a lasting impression here on those here, young and old,

Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you aim for, no dream is too bold,

It doesn’t matter where you are, what you’re doing, you can start right away,

Don’t sit around, go and change the world yourself, not by a simple pray,

Where we have reached today we only reached because of revered human minds,

Our progress marked by the camaraderie of mankind,

Shaped into what we have by innovative minds and hard working brains,

I don’t ask any of you to win the Nobel Peace Prize, that’s not what should remain,

But to change the world in your own way, to keep hope no matter what,

For that is the aim of this poem that I have sought,

And to remember that, in conclusion, anyone has the power in their hands

To change things according to your heart and mind’s demands,

Only dependant on what you do with the power you hold amongst yourselves,

And to not delve too deep into ourselves,

Success shall bore sweet fruit,

As long as you provide it with enough hard work, and it shall be astute!

About The Poet

Avin is a student from GEMS Winchester School. He enjoys reading, writing and playing the guitar. His poems and short stories have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines. His poems are inspired by various topics on war and school life.