Poetry Beyond

Professor Jody Martin is the first book that has been completed for the Jimmy Lee Williams Bookstore which is the main bookstore of New Directions Publishing. This is Professor Martin's first poem in this collection: COMMON KNOWLEDGELet me tell you what you can achieve with an education: The short answer is anything, and everything.But people can also thrill to the joys that knowledge brings.Conversely, one can better understand the sadness encountered in life;It can help navigate rough waters, or save a soul from the knife.Education is important; it's about "what you can"Instead of "what you can't."With an education the "I Have a Dream" speech occurs, But without it, all you get is a Three Stooges rant."Potential without structureToo often fades to waste,"And know that the long road requires patience, While the short one leads to haste.Haste then makes waste, and waste gets thrown in the trash, But when education helps one shine like a sun every idea can make you cash.Knowledge can help one live a life that is truly large, So don't be like a private, always strive to be a "SARGE."Now what is a "sarge?" Why, it's an acronym!Understand what each word is, and let your mind follow this hymn: Let it be Sexy, Alluring, Raw, Gorgeous, and Exotic;Knowledge is never common, and it can save a life from becoming chaotic.It doesn't fade, it glows on high;It doesn't dim, it lights the sky.The educated mind is truly like a shining sun: Think you've failed all else, but in being educated, you've actually won.So stand up, get educated, and never, ever quit, Because the best way to predict a future is to be able to c