My College Postcard

Here’s my college’s postcard
on a bright November day
trees grasping their final leaves
so as not to be naked in the winter months
the blinding reflection from off the ponds
and the flickering winds that cannot move the steeple
of the red-bricked chapel where
the stained glass is of the multi-talented art students
where the birds will always soar nearby
and their charming call fills the ears
along with the hourly bells
here’s my college’s postcard
with the faces of so many students
the faces of the whole world
uniting here


Here’s my college postcard
where the liberal arts kids know what they want to study
where the nursing major cuts himself
where I could study abroad, for a nominal fee
or where my roommate could not speak English
here’s my college postcard
where the winds off the man-made ponds burn my face
where my ocean view is blocked by power-lines
where I share a washing machine and dryer with 30 others
where avoiding bird shit becomes a way of life
where I get used to looking at the ground
instead of hearing the squawks of seagulls
where people learn they can be promiscuous
and where I have learned that my college post card
looks very different than what they advertise.

November 11, 2010