‘Twas the Night Post-Commencement

‘Twas the night post-commencement
When all through my head
Not a thought there was stirring
But fear, doubt, and dread.

My parents paid dearly,
Got bills upon bills.
But what am I left with?
No practical skills.

All my work until now
Could be done with a book.
But now where will I live?
How the hell does one cook?

The Orange Bubble’s cushioned
And the real world is scary.
Of forced independence
I’m still somewhat wary.

For what if it turns out
That  we’ve reached the peak?
And what if we never
Do find what we seek?

Getting a real job?
The thought makes me shudder.
Can’t I just I give up
And live in a gutter?

Or what if the world is
Just awful; a bust?
I wish now that the country
Were full of just us!

We need more Princetonians
To follow our creed!
That’s why there’s reunions:
To get us to breed.

And though we’ll be elsewhere
When next comes September.
We’ll look back with fondness,
And then we’ll remember.

So if life’s not so grand,
Or if hard times beset it,
You’re still a Princetonian.
And don’t fucking forget it.

-JRV ’12