Welcome

Welcome, class, the last exam to verify your aptitude,
Evaluate the efforts of a long, laborious year.
Welcome, those who fear demise, the loathsome malady
That kindles supplication, which draws one ever nearer.
Welcome, stock investors, the market place calamity,
Then sit upon the throne of wealth and bounty unalloyed.
Well for those who walk the path to hasten toward adversity,
Its cup filled to the brim, a fresh ordeal the cause of joy.
Welcome, seekers of His light, the shades of ambiguity.
Thus humility will be the star that guides aright.
Welcome, oh courageous ones, the bitterness of grief,
Anon the sting will turn to balm, poison to a font of life.
Welcome, those in constant pain and longing for relief,
Delays impelling stoicism, patience, strength of mind.
Welcome, oh true lovers, the draught of tyranny,
That hearts may be emboldened and honor never die.
Welcome, solid tree, the storm that makes your branches sway,
Arms reaching up in praise of dark and ponderous clouds,
Every fiber undulating, dancing like a flame,
To demonstrate your gratitude for having been allowed
To reciprocate with laughter the howling of the wind.
Welcome, those with hearts of stone, the fierce tempest gales
To open up the fortress, let the jilted Lover in.