A Sample from the Talent Show

This is the text of the poem Michael Collins read during the “AUK’s Got Talent!” event. It praises the American University of Kurdistan for its furthering the development of the region and the Iraqi nation as a whole. It has 23 lines as a reference to the year we are about to enter. This time, it is not an acrostic poem; it is made up of 10 couplets (pairs of rhyming lines) and 1 tercet (a group of three rhyming lines).

Onward to ‘23: A 23-Line Poem about AUK

by Michael Collins

AUK, to all its students, gives perhaps the best chance.

It is a school with fine facilities, obvious from the first glance.

The university is located in Kurdistan for a reason.

There you will find the greatest stability in Iraq, regardless of season.

Kurdistan needs young leaders trained for tomorrow,

Talented and committed to distancing the region from yesterday’s sorrow.

AUK offers a large number of possible degrees,

None of which, for excellence’s sake, can be achieved with ease.

The degree, once earned, is to be more than a decorative plaque.

It is proof of usefulness to Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.

Without a doubt, many of today’s AUK students are destined for great feats,

Inspiring others, from deep in the countryside to the city streets.

The university is calling upon its young women and men,

Instilling in them dedication to service – not “if,” but “when.”

Kurdistan and wider Iraq are better for having AUK,

An institution devoted to educating its learners, without delay.

What is not perfect at AUK now is best viewed as an opportunity,

With an idea for betterment coming from an individual or the community.

The university, the students, the region, the nation:

Working and growing together prevent outside domination.

The future of AUK and its students is bright.

Adopt the confidence of “will”; drop the uncertainty of “might.”

From the sun of the Kurdish flag and the classrooms of AUK comes a light.