Oh Exeter, you are my home—
Whoe’er I meet, where’er I roam,
I’ll think back on my happy days
At Exeter, in many ways:
Of greeting people on the path
And helping everyone with math;
Of speaking, reading, writing French
And waiting upon many a bench
For class to start, then with elation
Striking up a conversation;
Of reading myriad English books
And getting several funny looks
For mixing ketchup and cottage cheese
And eating it on eggs with ease;
Of running countless precious miles
In woods, on roads, always with smiles;
Of loving four successive teams
And realizing our collective dreams;
Of physics with spring-loaded carts,
And bio diagrams of hearts.
Yes, for all this I may well yearn,
But really, I have learned to learn
From you—you’ve taught me all I know
Of when to speak, when to lay low;
I’ve learned to step outside my head
To try another view instead.
And though we love the Harkness table
For pushing us to all we’re able
To learn, in those short fifty minutes—
In short, eliminating limits—
Here, I have learned from books and tests
Quizzes, labs, short papers, and the rest
But far, far more I’ve learned from you:
My classmates, friends, and teachers too.
So now I thank you, each by each,
For putting this within my reach.
And ask you to remember this
As Exeter’s departing kiss:
That far or near, where’er you roam
Exeter will always be your home.
