Idaho State University Poem

*Idaho State University*

If you listen closely enough, you can hear
Idaho’s state motto
Everywhere. Everyday.
Today, one of those places is inside an advisor’s office on Terry Street.
If you watch closely enough, you can see
Why this is the smile capital of the United States.
She smiled at the junior who entered her office,
Then She Listened.

The Bengal wanted to change majors and begin a new program in Biology.
The advisor then perused the Bengal’s file for a while,
And the only remaining task was to determine how long it
would take to graduate,
And as the third-year Bengal hung in limbo, she could only think of
Her experiences as a staff member of the Outdoor Adventure Center:

Camping at Big Springs Campground
With the astounding mountains in the background.

Competing in the Pocatello Pump,
Rock-climbing above the sum of contenders in lump.

Fishing in Pocatello Creek, Skiing up Pebble Creek…
And with that,
They began to speak…

She asked the counselor if she knew how long it’d all take,
How long until she finishes this mapped-out endeavor,
Inside her head, the wishful Bengal said,

Please, Let It Be Forever.

From Alma Mater Vol. 3: The West
You can read the full four-volume Alma Mater collection here.
©2016. Original Clyde Aidoo. All rights reserved