By Mark Marshall

Production carpenter, high in the air
Sun beats on skin, wind in my hair
Keeping on focus, danger is near
Could mean death if you fall from up here
Oh, how I loved my old life
Building new homes for husbands and wives
Sometimes wondering why this couldn’t last
It’s friggin’ simple! The economy crashed!
Panic, pandemonium, what to do next?
Back to school was my best guess
Leaving home, family, and friends
Surely my life had come to an end
The constant of knowing that everything costs
Telling it truthfully, I felt quite lost
Toting my book bag, hours in a chair
So very different from being up there
Studying, typing, didn’t feel very smart
So I dug in deeper and got good marks
Now immersed in my third year
Confidence growing, shedding the fear
First a TRiO student, now their intern
Just goes to show ya, that old guys can learn.