[Pages S324-S326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Senate Pages

  Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I appreciate the great Senator from the 
State of Florida with a haircut that is almost as good as mine. Thank 
you, sir.
  Every year, the pages come through in cycles. I shouldn't say ``every 
year.'' There are multiple classes of pages. They are usually all 
extraordinary. This is an extraordinary class of pages. I have some 
issues with them, which I will air later.
  But one of the traditions that we have resurrected in this new 
Congress is the page poetry contest. And this time, we had just a very 
small--a paucity of pages participated. That is an alliteration: A 
paucity of pages participated. And we have a number of them.
  Katie Britt, in her eminent brilliance, and I have picked our top 
ones. Katie has picked one that I will mention, but we want to give 
these four of the six--I feel bad for the two we have left out. We want 
to give them our highest honors. But, first, the runner-up in the third 
position is Kaija.
  There you are. You are the No. 3. I would read your poem, but we 
don't have time. You are articulate. You are eloquent. I teared up when 
I read your poem. It was so powerful and prodigiously potent.
  And then the No. 2--before I read the two winners, the one selected 
by me and then the one selected by Katie Britt, the No. 2 is Holden. 
Where is Holden? Holden is over here as well.
  Holden, your poem, too, brought me to depths--depths and heights.
  It was to the nadir and to the zenith. It was very poetic, sir. You 
have talent as well.
  And then the two winners. Katie Britt has chosen Jake. Where is Jake?
  Jake, why are you sitting down?
  Why can't I--why are those pages sitting down?
  Pages, stand up. Be accounted for yourselves.
  Jake, you are now going to forever go into the Senate Record. Are you 
prepared for this, Jake? Your work shall live forever. Here it goes.

       Five months I've walked these halls of history,
       Where wisdom lingers, woven in the air.
       To serve the nation, humble though it be,

[[Page S325]]

       I've witnessed duty's weight and leaders' care.
       The echoes of debates in chambers vast,
       Where laws are forged and futures shaped with might,
       Have shown me how the present shapes the past,
       And kindled faith in government's light.
       I watched as leaders certified the will,
       A testament to voices heard and strong.
       Though times are tense, resolve can guide us still,
       A steadfast march to right what once was wrong.
       This service marks the start of dreams anew,
       To shape the world with honor's hue.

  I am going to pause. This might be the first time the Presiding 
Officer has ever cried.
  Is the Presiding Officer OK?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I am going to make it.
  Mr. BOOKER. He is going to make it.
  Congratulations. You are one of the two poet champions of the U.S. 
page class--the fall page class.
  (Applause.)
  Yes, yes. Don't get an ego. Don't let it go to your head. Don't be 
like a Senator.
  OK. The other one, the final champion, is Ms. Pallan. Yes.
  (Applause.)
  Yes. Here is your poem.

       We stand on blue, carpeted floors
       From AM to PM we open Senate doors
       Aching heels, and curved backs
       We feel our composure start to crack
       But in walks a Senator, and postures correct
       Pages come together, all hands on deck
       Excitement overtakes persistent exhaustion
       As we wait to hear debates on legislation
       People of power laugh and joke
       As we watch and realize they're just common folk
       Against the walls we silently hear
       Colleagues and officials, but most of all--friends dear
       Within this room, there stands a central divide
       But there exists no aisle in our hearts or minds

  That was fantastic.
  (Applause.)
  I am grateful for the poetic effort. I am grateful for our poetry 
champions, who will forever live in the annals of Senatorial history.
  But there are a lot of people on this floor right now who have come 
to anticipate how I will proceed to demonstrate that these page 
writings are good. But now I will show them by reciting my own original 
poem.
  Before I do, let me make at these pages an angry poke. Dear God, you 
all have been here for 5 months, and you couldn't tell me one good 
joke? Come on. Come on. Painful. You are the worst joke tellers. Heaven 
knows. But I am done. I have got my poem to read. So here goes.

       Pages! With your suits so Navy, Understanding what you 
     signed up for, some might think you were crazy. You clearly 
     are the opposite of lazy. Up at 5 AM, your teenage brains 
     must be hazy, taking a full load of classes, English, 
     history, and calculus with parabolas so wavy. But that isn't 
     the end of your days--see. You work full-time on the job, on 
     the floor, serving Republican Senators like Mitch and 
     Democrats like Mazie. You man phones and open doors. You 
     tirelessly do the Senate's unglamorous chores, in this job 
     away from your fam, who can only see you if they join the 17 
     other Americans who regularly watch C-SPAN. But yet you are 
     vital to this place, I hope you all see. In our Federal 
     democracy, some might call you the foot soldiers of the 
     Senate's slowly making history. And in this place, of 
     sometimes too many partisan wars, you are this powerful, 
     gentle nudge to all of us old dinosaurs, that we are here for 
     you, the future of our nation. You are a constant reminder of 
     our sacred obligation. To put country first, you are subtly 
     telling us in this sacred space: That we are not individual 
     athletes but actually running a relay race. Soon the baton we 
     will place, in your hands, the next generation, to lead with 
     honor, determination, and I pray grace. So Pages! With your 
     suits so blue, Serving the Senate tried and true, Doing 
     everything we asked you to do. Walking around barely awake 
     some days, but you still made it through. Here are 3 pieces 
     of advice I have for you. First, leap into the unknown, even 
     if it seems scary just give it a try. Like you found out 
     jumping here, into your Senate experience that had to 
     petrify--leap. I know that to some of your friends that it 
     must have stupefied. Don't play it safe, hunkering down just 
     to fortify. Jump at tough challenges because in life it is 
     simple: If you don't risk great falls, you'll never see how 
     high you can fly. Second, Make friends with people who think 
     different and with whom you don't agree. This is the very 
     idea of our democracy. You've witnessed it here on the Senate 
     floor. The TV often tells us that we should hate those who 
     are different, but clearly you now know more. We are so much 
     more than a partisan, tribal war. Compromise is essential, 
     our founders forswore. I task you to be unifiers, common 
     ground builders, defining yourself by not who you are against 
     but by who you are for. Take our national ideal of E Pluribus 
     Unum and reclaim its splendor. Be an indivisible mentor--not 
     just to preserve our democracy, but you are tasked with 
     making it soar. And finally Pages! With your suits so . . . 
     clean, my last piece of advice is to dream bolder dreams. I 
     believe it, that for you there is no limitation. God, you are 
     already living lives way behind your ancestor's greatest 
     imagination. Past generations did great things. They took 
     humanity to flight, took on the most awful wrongs and, 
     incredibly, made them right. It's your turn--with grits, 
     guts, and gumption--to dream America anew. Challenge my 
     generation's limited assumptions. Dream America anew. Don't 
     wait for permission. Dream America anew. This is your 
     mission. Dream America anew--beyond what even your parents 
     can now see. Dream an America anew and bring us to new 
     heights of freedom, justice, and prosperity. Pages, dream 
     America anew. Dream America anew. Dream America anew. This is 
     my advice but also my prayer for you. Oh, and for all of 
     history, I hereby put into the official Senate Record this 
     truth, not a rumor: This Senate class, my friends, was 
     incredible, kind, dedicated, but you lacked a sense of humor.

  Mr. President, I see the extraordinary colleague here. We read her 
selected poem already. But I will tell you, there are 99 colleagues, 
but nobody is more the surrogate Senate page parent than Katie Britt, 
the Senator from Alabama.
  I hope that you have learned from her the power of simple, everyday 
kindnesses.
  Mr. President, I defer to my friend and colleague, the Senator from 
Alabama.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, I walked out of a meeting and got to see 
my dear friend and distinguished colleague from New Jersey addressing 
these incredible individuals behind me, in front of me, and all around 
the room. And so, in typical fashion, I literally ran out of the door 
to come and be a part of this.
  First, I think you know that for my distinguished colleague from New 
Jersey and I, one of our favorite things that we get to do each and 
every semester that you are here, is to host you--host you for lunch 
and conversation in a way that I think America needs to see. We do it 
across the aisle. We have laughs, thanks to this one, and we have a 
good time. And we get to dive into who you are and what your questions 
are and what this body is about.
  Getting to be a part of this distinguished poetry contest that you 
have, that is a new one for me, and it is one that I hope I continue to 
get to do--because, guys, you all are incredible.
  When I was reading through these, it reminded me not only how special 
it is that we get to walk in these doors every day, how incredible this 
body is, and the gravity of the jobs that we do; but it showed me how 
phenomenal each and every one of you are for giving up your time, your 
energy, and your talent to make sure that this institution and our 
Nation are better.
  So thank you--thank you, thank you--for what you have given to this 
country through your service here the last couple of months.
  And my distinguished colleague from New Jersey has said it best, but 
just to add a couple of pieces of advice on your way out the door: Be 
unafraid to fail. Folks, I am not going to lie to you. It is not fun to 
fail. But without your willingness to do it, you will never achieve 
what is possible for you and what God has in front of you. And look, 
when you do fail, learn from it. Take a step back. Figure out what role 
you played in that, what you can do better, how you can be better, and 
how you can grow as a result, because I have found that everybody knows 
your peaks in life, but it is your valleys that actually truly define 
you and prepare you to climb the next hill.
  Also--and I hope you have seen this on the Senate floor--you do not 
have to agree with someone to show them respect. And, in fact, we are 
counting on you to be respectful to those that you agree with and 
disagree with. That is what this Nation was founded on: the ability to 
have these conversations--challenging conversations--with people that 
you respect and with people you have built a relationship with that you 
may not agree with.
  We need your generation to help us continue to bring that back. I 
have seen that from each and every one of

[[Page S326]]

you, and I am inspired by the way that you have conducted yourselves.
  And then, last but not least, get in the arena. Right? Now, 
everyone's arena is different. Everyone's lane is unique. And that is 
not just OK; it is necessary. But we need you to be unafraid to jump in 
and to move this Nation forward because, at the end of the day, we need 
you to achieve what we need to do for the American people, not only 
just in your communities and States but truly across the country.
  You have all been given a special gift, but it is up to you to 
utilize that to affect as many people as you possibly can in a positive 
way and make the world around you better as a result of who you are and 
the way that you conduct yourself.
  And so all of that to say: It has been an honor and a privilege to 
get to know you. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of all of 
our colleagues, we are grateful for you. And I am grateful for my 
friendship with the Senator from New Jersey, and I hope that our 
friendship has served as an example for you of what is possible when 
you maybe put differences aside; you get to know each other as people; 
you can have tough conversations, find common ground, and move good 
things forward.
  I yield the floor back to my distinguished colleague from New Jersey.
  Mr. BOOKER. Thank you to Katie Britt, the tough-as-nails Senator who 
will never quit, before I sit--I just can't stop myself. And thanks to 
Elizabeth, we should have all the poems put into the Senate Record.
  So with that, I would like to ask unanimous consent that all six 
participants, including the two I didn't name--Gabriel, where is 
Gabriel? Solid, solid piece of work. I was splitting hairs, splitting 
hairs. The only thing that dissed you was:

       The Capitol subway is my home.
       It rides underneath the great dome.

  I thought it was a lie that the subway is your home. I see you rarely 
on the subway. So your poetic genius was there; I dinged you because it 
was not truthful.
  And then the other name I want to give is Xavier, where is Xavier? 
Where is Xavier? Xavier is not here; that is why Xavier did not get--I 
knew he would not be here. It is terrible. It is terrible.

       That's what we pages are meant to observe.
       And to learn from others the pride to serve.

  I see no pride in his not being here right now. But I will say that 
they deserve to be in the Senate Record.
  So, again, all six poems, all six participants will be there.
  I ask unanimous consent that all six poems be printed in the Record.
  Katie, thank you for your kind words, and we turn the Senate back 
over to its usual programming. Although I do not think anything that 
will happen on this floor will be as fun as the fun that Katie and I 
just had. Thank you very much.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                Watching


                           by Kaija Leinonen

     Above watch eyes of those before
     Some fierce and others kinder.
     The hist'ry of our Senate floor,
     Their gaze a stern reminder.
     Above watch eyes of those who trust
     The neighbors, friends, and envoy
     To act in love and do what's just
     When voting for their convoy.
     Above watch eyes of all the world
     Breath baited, holding plans now.
     The lives and loves of boys and girls
     Rest safely in your hands now.
     And with those eyes now watching you
     This job's not a what, but now a who.


                            by Holden Demain

     It's work and it's school; democracy alive
     It's ambition and passion and wakeups at five
     Doors and water orders--that's what we do
     Check your TV and find us, right on C-SPAN 2!
     Dirksen and roll call; caucus and quorum
     Look at the suits; think back when I wore 'em
     The Rotunda at midnight and English at sunrise
     There's always more; that's where the fun lies
     The challenges we face are both great and are numerous
     Yet we can beat them together: it's me, you, and us
     Being a Page is something worth praising
      I'm sad that it's over; it's honestly crazy
     I've loved you so much, Class of Fall '24
     It's been madness and memories and so, so much more


                           by Gabriel Rhodes

     As I close my eyes, I feel the whoosh!
     I take a seat and feel it move
     We speed off with a big swoosh
     I am getting in the groove
     The seal is emblazoned on the wall
     The red carpet cushions our shoes
     Just make sure you do not fall!
     When we start moving it quells my blues
     The Capitol subway is my home
     A place to meet and greet
     It rides underneath the great dome
     This is the place to accomplish the great feat


                       by Xavier Carrasco Cooper

     I am often asked what all do I do
     No answer has ever covered it through
     Don't want to be seen as mediocre
     Don't want to lie and look like a joker
     I used to think the government was few
     A small club of people always on view
     Leading our country by virtual decree
     Only the few fought for us to be free
     I have seen how terribly wrong I was
     I've met those who work outside of the buzz
     Without recognition, fame or applause
     Those who take pride in serving a great cause
     That's what we Pages are meant to observe
     And to learn from others the pride to serve
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.