Another timeslice goes by and still I don't know,
Did somehow I miss the right window?
I looked for a word or a symbol or sign,
Some simple clue, I was on the right line.
Is there some memory or a piece of my mind
That somehow I dropped and left behind?
How came I to this place where now I stand?
Could it be this talisman here in my hand?
And now the fear really sets in.
Is there really a chance that I'll ever win?
Can you take it from me,
or show me the way?
Will I ever be free,
Or return to the clay?
Have I already had my share of degrees?
I'm here in the shadow, down on my knees.

Robert Lloyd Palmer

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/shadow-of-degrees/