5th Grade

“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
And he with a chuckle replied,
‘That maybe it couldn’t but he would be one,
who would not say so until he tried’,
So he buckled right in with a bit of a grin,
On his face,
If he worried he hid it,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing,
That couldn’t be done and he did it.

Somebody scoffed ‘oh you’ll never do that,
At least no one has ever done it’,
So he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing he knew he’d begun it,
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubt or quibbling,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing,
That couldn’t be done and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands of prophecies of failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

So just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Take off your coat and go to it,
You’ll start to sing as you tackle the thing,
That cannot be done and you’ll do it.” ~Unknown

The great thing about Ms. Donovan’s class in 5th grade was the poem we recited every morning together right after the pledge of allegiance. We had four different poems throughout the year that we learned. At the beginning of the quarter she would tape one down to our desk and at first we would read it together. As the quarter went on we would cover up a little bit at a time until finally we could stand up and recite it without looking. Out of those four poems this is the one that I remembered these past 16 years.

Every now and again I stumble upon a written copy that I had hidden in a notebook here and there and it’s always at the right time. Like this morning for example. I’m starting my new semester at 4C’s later this morning and there it was. The greatest thing about it was that it still flows from my memory just the same as those mornings that I wore over sized sweatshirts with spandex and beaded braids in my hair.

I shiver at the image…but man what a powerful message that was. Thank you Ms. Donovan.

Peace, love and memories,
<3 Lynnmarie

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