In Love of Ruth
At the entry of the Great Court
Where the Women’s Fountain
Splashed in refreshing water,
I paused with my load
Of books.
I saw empty new benches
On the late Saturday afternoon.
I turn to exit and
The emotions overcame.
The lost-ness of the Past.
It was Lady Nostalgia
Spring forth in Waters.
No, I did not want to relive.
It has rightly gone.
I remember the youth
In feminine memory.
Our university days.
Then what I wanted
Was to live in the Future.
Now, that I Am
In that Future,
Although Not what I expected,
It is Who I Am
In Where I Am.
A Campus of Lost Souls.
******
Image Collage: International Federation of University Women, Monument Australia ; The Great Court, University of Queensland, Southern Entry.
From Monument Australia:
The International Federation of University Women (IFUW), renamed Graduate Women International (GWI), is an international organization for women university graduates. IFUW was founded in the wake of the First World War by both British and North American college and university workers who were hoping to contribute to congenial relations between women of different nationalities. Nearly 90 years later, GWI continues to advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment through the access to quality secondary and tertiary education, and training up to the highest levels. The goal is for 100% of girls and women worldwide to achieve an education beyond primary school.
Neville Buch