Reading a poem during the 2024 Drury University commencement

Hi everyone,

At president JOHN BEUERLEIN’s invitation, on May 11 it was my pleasure to read a poem I wrote to honor the 2024 graduating class of Drury University. The occasion was made even more auspicious because this group of 450 graduated during Drury’s 150-year anniversary. Former senator ROY BLUNT gave the commencement address and was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service. The event took place in the O’Reilly Family Event Center, which holds 3,160 for concerts. The last time I was there was for a Willie Nelson concert. Not every seat was full for commencement but I’d guess there were 2,300 or so.

My poem was in the program so I think it’s okay to print it here.

This Poem Is for You
By David L. Harrison

One hundred fifty years from when
a borrowed bell summoned
Drury’s first students,
the hopes of that time
graduate anew with you today.
You are historical.
That alone is worth a poem.

It takes courage to face the unknown,
to dare to set out on a journey alone,
discover hard truths about who you are,
earn the audacity that grants permission to dream.
Today you are the boundary
between past and future.
Your own journey begins
when you step out of this poem
and through those doors.

You’ll draw strength, when you need it,
from memories of nights
when you thought you couldn’t do it,
but somehow did;
memories of professors
who challenged you, dared you.
They have earned a place in your poem.

When you are old, and need new knees,
friends you made here
will need new knees, too,
and they will still love you,
and you will become fond of saying,
“Remember that time when…?”

This moment will not come again,
with the ink scarcely dry
on the beginning of the rest of your lives.
You’ve learned how to go about learning,
learned how to make some pieces fit.
It’s alchemy time, when dreams transform into reality.
And you, our talented new graduates,
are definitely worthy of a poem.

The Laureate Project

Hi everyone,

A few months ago I was contacted by MATT HOISCH, an award-winning writer and broadcast journalist who graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University and added graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. His radio and television work have been featured on NPR and PBS stations across the U.S. He has two Emmy Awards.

Matt’s newest work he calls The Laureate Project. He says, “Most states in the U.S. have a poet laureate or a similar position. The ubiquity of this role is worth pausing to contemplate. Somehow, a significant majority of American states—regardless of location, population size, or political leaning—have decided it is worth devoting publicly funded time and resources toward selecting and supporting government-appointed authors…At a time of seemingly bottomless polarization and bitterness in so many corners of American life, what can we learn from these bards? What would it feel like to take a tour of this sprawling country via the eyes, ears, and sensibilities of its publicly-sanctioned poets? This series of audio collages is an attempt to do that. To stay up to date on the Laureate Project, subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or SoundCloud and follow me on Substack.”

Matt interviewed me at length by phone and I felt good about how it went. He is now publishing the results of his talks online. So far they have included the poets laureate of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, and Missouri. If you’d like to know more about Matt, here is a link to his website. https://www.hoisch.com/ . If you would like to hear his interview with me, click here. https://hoisch.substack.com/p/missouri-david-l-harrison and click the arrow on the right just above my picture. If you’d like to subscribe to the series and support Matt’s work, there’s information about how to do that. My thanks to Matt Hoisch for his ambitious project and outstanding work.