‘Twas the night before finals, in the halls of old stone, The echoes of laughter, soon whispers now grown. Books lay asunder, in clusters and stacks, While the clock teased with time, quick to elapse. The stars seemed to shimmer, a guiding refrain, To dreams woven thickly by night's frazzled strain. A last week of college, a poignant adieu, To crimson leave-takings and skies tinged with blue. Amidst pages turned, a deft longing to pause, In the quiet beseeching of memory's cause. Yet futures await, in the stillness and light, As hearts brave the shadows, 'til dawn conquers night.