Legacy is the invisible string that connects you to me and me to them. This is a communal poem. It encapsulates the diversity and strength of the connections at this university. This is a collaborative poem that makes those that participated the authors which reflects each of us as coauthors of our own legacy. After weaving together the responses of individuals from faculty, staff, and students from across grounds, I have shown only but a glimpse of what identity, purpose, shared values, and legacy looks like at this university.
What is legacy?
What someone leaves behind;
Difficult to vocalize
it is often unseen,
Unheard,
or even unknown.
Maybe it is felt.
Someone, somewhere,
Struck a chord.
Despite not knowing,
The vibration is still felt,
The music is still heard.
A mark left,
Unable to be seen,
But the impression is felt
As you run your finger along,
Trying to find your path.
The legacy out runs
The finite flesh,
Yet does not require death.
It requires impact,
For someone to hold enough weight
That their footprints are left,
Now beneath the feet of others.
Weight felt on the shoulders
Of those following,
Demanding the descendant to rise to the occasion.
A hand resting on one's shoulder,
Shoulders beneath one’s feet.
Maybe it sits in this place,
A place for us to exist.
We live in the context,
Of those who came before,
Creating the lines
For those who come after,
Boundaries for us,
Achievements for them,
Standards rising,
And our efforts ascending behind them.
Personal, professional
Impacts on lives.
Honoring traditions,
Changing the ways,
Despite the history remaining the same.
Improving the reputation,
To move forward,
To elevate,
To excellence,
To exist loudly.
What legacy was left for you?
In your office?
Legacy of progress.
To chart a path forward,
And to make space.
In your program?
Legacy of leadership.
Each generation teaching the other,
Each one learn from one another,
Giving power back to the people.
In your school?
Legacy of lifelong learning.
An ongoing pursuit
Of knowledge
And power.
Letting curiosity lead,
Discovery inspire.
In your work?
Legacy of purpose over profit.
Building beyond the minimum
As a means of making a life not a living.
In your family?
Legacy of service.
Tending to the weary
Cleaning the stones
And washing the worries
Of those whose bodies have left
But their spirit still fills the room.
Cooking for the damsels left in distress,
To honor the lives of their loved one.
In your household?
Legacy of faithfulness.
Demonstrating what it means
To serve God,
Lead by example,
Show up for your family,
And pour into your kids.
In your land?
Legacy of freedom.
To live unapologetically
How do you build a legacy?
Brick by brick.
Person by person.
Day by day.
Is it in the action?
Propping open a door,
Leaving a ladder down.
Is it in the method?
Lifting while you climb.
Is it in the impact?
Leaving a place better than it was found.
Through constant self-reflection,
Always returning to the actor
And the actions.
A healthy analysis to
Prime intentional efforts
To actively pour into growth
With an impact that blooms,
Beyond your years.
Some who plant the seed,
may see the roots,
Or even the bud,
Yet not see the flower.
Sin embargo, Hasta La Raíz,
I’ll carry you unto the root,
Today,
Manaña,
And the next day.
There is pride in bearing the bloom,
But even more tesoro
In seeing the fruits from one’s life
Be seeds of growth and new heights for another,
To give and to receive,
Then everyone bears the gifts of one for all
Is it greed in gratification to want to be known as the sender?
Is it bad to leave a legacy?
Maybe not when what you do
Is done for someone on a higher dimension
So when you are seen
And who you touch is actually experiencing
The one of higher dimension.
You simply one small particle of the glory
We all share.
Or lack thereof
Legacy centered on the self
Is opening the door for yourself,
Not bothering to look behind you,
And leaving each successor
To learn the dimensions,
Mechanics and principles of opening a door.
Instead, leave it ajar for those following.
Your riches may collect on earth,
But wealth that doesn’t welt,
doesn’t cost a dime.
Let the generosity of your deeds
Be plenty.
Prosperity a current,
Carrying to the next.
It can’t be measured in currency,
In acreage,
In plaques and medals.
Comparison is the thief of joy,
One’s satisfaction fails to measure up to another's fulfillment.
Treasures cannot sustain the world,
But can be kept in Him.
Each person, a vessel of the legacy.
Flesh dies,
Names fade,
Feeling remains.
Legacy prevails.
You give it,
You don’t keep it.
Some choose it,
Some are born with it.
Do with that what you will.
Acknowledge,
Reflect,
Honor,
Decode,
Dismantle,
Rebuild.
