Bittersweet Farewell

As the days in our high school and AP English career wane, I am in utter disbelief as to where the time has gone.  I fully realize that our last day of school is this Friday and I know how soon we will go off to college and start real life, it seems to be anything anyone will talk about nowadays.  Yet, I am still in complete shock.  I feel like an underclassman, blundering about without any grasp on reality that I’m even in high school.  And now it’s time to go.  I’m not old enough for this.  Somewhere in between the journals and multiple choice games and complaining about datasheets and soapstones and graded discussions and blogs of course, we grew up.  Definitely in intelligence.  Inevitably in age. Debatably in maturity.  Now, despite learning for two years how to best express my thoughts and emotions into cohesive prose, I will turn to various song lyrics as a means of attempting to relay this fleeting, bittersweet, incredulous, feeling to you all.  Without further ado, I leave you with a short play list of song lyrics:

“Say goodbye to the freak show
Say hello to the footlight's glow
Your success can only grow
Say goodbye to the freak show
…
Farewell don’t forget us
Do tell how you met us
Don’t dwell on sorrow as you go
You will farewell” (“Say Goodbye to the Freak Show” Side Show)

“How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad
I thought we’d get to see forever
But forever’s gone away
It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday” (“It’s so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” Boyz II Men)

“Something is stirring
shifting ground
It's just begun.
Edges are blurring
all around
and yesterday is done
Feel the flow
hear what's happening
We're what's happening
Don't ya know
We're the movers and
We're the shapers
We're the names in tomorrow's papers
Up to us, man, to show 'em.” (“Our Time” Steven Sondheim)

“I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends!” (“We are the Champions” Queen)