Middle School, Is a Gauntlet（ˈgänt-,ˈgôntlit）

Middle School, Is a Gauntlet（ˈgänt-,ˈgôntlit）

My Dear Advisees（adˌvīˈzē,ˌadvī-）

By Henry（ˈhenrē） Walker

middle school, is a gauntlet:
as you push yourself, to move forward,
you seem to remember, how much easier,
it was, just yesterday,
you feel, how hard it is,
to keep your eye（ī） on the future coming at you,
to keep true, to the best of who you are,
while doubts（dout）, and mistakes, and exhaustion（igˈzôsCHən）
hit at you, work to hold you back,
the gauntlet, does its best to deny（diˈnī） you,
the rightness and the power,
that is your birthright（ˈbərTHˌrīt）,

as your advisor（adˌvīˈzēr）, I hope to help you
persevere(ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)r), to find your way forward,
to help you deny, the deniers（dəˈni(ə)r）,
to break through, to the best within you,
that is who you are,
when you will not be denied（di’neīd）.