“The Turning Hour”

Central Idea:

The poem explores the universal journey of transition — such as from school to adulthood — and the internal struggle each person faces in finding their true self amid doubt, fear, and change. It emphasizes self-discovery, resilience, and the courage to live authentically.

At the edge of the known, where the daylight thins,

We stand with our hands full of might-have-beens.

The road behind is a woven thread—

Of dreams once whispered, of tears once shed.

We walked through halls of chalk and sound,

Where answers rose and truths were found.

But knowledge, dear, is just the start—

The map, not yet the beating heart.

The world ahead is strange and wide,

With shifting stars and rising tide.

And fear will knock, dressed up as doubt,

Whispering lies we must live without.

For everyone, one silent night comes near,

When the mirror speaks, and the soul must hear:

“Who are you now, beneath the name?

Are you the fire, or just the flame?”

There lies the choice, not once but ever,

To break the mask or wear it clever.

To walk as truth, though paths may bend,

Or follow crowds that never end.

Time is a teacher with no set class,

Its lessons scrawled on fogged-up glass.

We learn by loss, by risk, by fall,

By rising when we’ve lost it all.

So take your step, not bold, but true—

Let silence guide what's real in you.

For life’s not found in fear or fame,

But in facing storms and naming your name.

--                       ~ Eoin Sushant