“That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.”                                                                       Walt Whitman, from  “O Me, O Life” NOTE: Inspired by the American poet Walt Whitman, sophomore students in Mr. Fiorelli’s American literature classes were asked to provide the verses that they would contribute to the world's "powerful play." Here is a poem that features some of their inspiring verses.

My verse will be a sunrise. It will beckon in a new age of peace and equality for all cultures.

I will be like the student in the “Learn’d Astronomer” and think “outside of the classroom.”

I will experience the world and nature first hand.

I will work hard to be successful.
I will not be afraid of failure.

I feel God's grace pushing me through.

I will give to the world what the world gave to me.

I will aid the sick in return for my health.

I will assist the elderly as gratitude for my youth.

I will guide the young in recognition of my maturity.

I will feed the poor with the understanding of my fortunes.

I can be great. I can make a difference.

I want to travel the world
Make a change
Find love
And prove to those who didn't believe in me that they were wrong.

I will leave my legacy with the innovations I will create.

I will help to shape the future of our world.

What am I but a man with a pen in my hand?

The world is my notepad.

I want to be remembered for my words, and the worlds I create.

I will overcome any debacle
I will continue at full speed
I will fight through every obstacle
I will aspire to succeed.

I'll be a force to be reckoned with, a freight train moving fast towards success.  
Destination: Better Me                                                              

I will stand my ground
Have my head held high
Jump over obstacles
And reach for the sky.

I will live to see the jubilance on one’s face
To make cheeks hurt from joy and laughter.

I am who God put on this earth to be,
I will not falter in the face of adversity.
When everyone else cowers in fear,
I will shine and fight on.

In all of the imperfections, I will strive to find the beauty.
Of all the inequalities, the perception of women can be reshaped.

I will have a fire in my heart
Threatening to set the world ablaze
I know not where the flames will spread
But I know they’ll leave their mark.

I will be remembered. Not just another unnamed face in a sea of people.
What I've done will be shared throughout time.
Irrefutably important and acknowledged by all.

Whether I paint the achroous sky with parnassian flare, or I bring the selcouth fleer to the melancholy, I will be remembered.

A Lone Dutchman, to be remembered for the accomplishments that benefit all.

I won't blend in....
That's far too easy.

I want to be a memory, whether as a friend, student, teacher, lover, anything.
I won’t be forgotten like a picture gathering dust on a wall.

I want my verse to be sung on forever, but I want to help everyone write his or her own verse.  

I will leave the world in a better place than when I came into it.