October 27 – November 2, 2014: Stephen Kopel and Ana Thessing

After Graduation

it seemed like earth tilted a few (advanced) degrees

making an educated guess, a freshman class of
European tits settled under eaves

student union’s bowling alley declared a strike

public address system, eschewing dresses, began
wearing Lee’s jeans and leather boots

elements in chemistry’s lab figured they’d polish
periodic tables

Keg partied with Lager and Ale over the county line

grass, left uncut, made for a smelly smoke

flower beds changed all sheets..pillow cases
ending up in a lawyer’s brief

spirit of knowledge imparted bemoans the multitude
of empty classrooms

student records are mailed out in vinyl format
complete with sleeve and button cuff

Relic

They do have a life of their own
feeding off the past,
living in empty spaces.
They’re like those relics or icons
that we worship–
the hair left on the pillow
the semen on the mattress cover–
they grow in value.
For instance, the ticket stubs
I guard in my wallet
for that movie we saw
that I’m still unable to admit
wasn’t very good.

Vacuum

And it was just my luck
I ran into you
when I did.
Oh and those
synaptic effects–
not what I was expecting
although it now seems
obvious once the old skirmishes
were out of the way
that everything would change.
The system reordered itself and
became what it was meant to be.
Hope rose in a vacuum
and sweeping across
my own set of dilemmas,
a new reality–
me with you
pumped the air
back into the room.