High School Essay Winner: 'No Whining in Machining'

I look at the ceiling I see the ones who've come before me

and I wait to hear my teacher tell the stories

I listen closely to hear the hidden meaning

then I understand the true meaning of "machining"

"No whining in machining," this is mundane

hearing this makes it feel like rain

in machining there’s no side pieces

this is my main

without machining i would go insane

From the start it was T slots

I struggled and struggled

though with this struggle came knowledge

but this was only the beginning to preparing for college

We moved to using the milling machine

edge finding was impossible to me

but my teacher despises the negative words

"nothings impossible" he says

so I push on

I continue

I strive to learn learn learn

so that I can earn earn earn

for the education I now yearn yearn yearn

I FINALLY CAN DO IT

THE MILLING MACHINE IS EASY

but my teacher doesn’t like the word "easy"

it’s the mindset of a fool

because saying this word would result in a duel

... with a zero

this class keeps my mindset right

it’s my hero

I see the seniors begin to leave

how could this be

there’s more metal to cut

more drilling to do

you guys have always been here

but wait … I’ll have to leave, too …

this realization makes me go “boohoo”

because next year around this time I have no choice but to hit the hay

forced to leave behind what I had done every single day

cutting metal is now more serious to me

I try not to waste time on my projects

"less hablar, more trabajar"

is now drilled into my incessantly moving ear

I'm thankful for machining; without it I’d be lost.