“Side Quest Vol. 3” by Haylie Toth

Illustration by Arts and Literary Journal staff editor Edith Hanlon.

One last hurrah, one last whoopee,

This may be the last celebration we see

One last voyage, one last crusade,

Was this truly worth the dues that we paid?

Day by day, night by night,

We take every opportunity that we see in sight

Time spent with friends, soon turns into time spent with family,

But not all of us will transition so happily

We must cherish these moments, these times, and these places,

Soon enough we will no longer see their faces

But do not fret, we shall return rather quickly

Even if right now the present time seems to be sickly

Haylie Toth is a freshman at the University of Michigan, where she is a student of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. She is a member of the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts Michigan Learning Community, and she is very passionate about writing! 

Artist’s Statement: “What inspired me with this piece is the change in tone and vibes in the air when it comes time to leave campus for break or for the summer. This is a sad time in the school year where you are forced to leave the new life-long friends that you made, so it is important to celebrate and cherish the time you still have left with them while you can.”