Walking out of my dorm
I meet students sitting on the grass
gossiping, studying, relaxing,
taking a break from life.
They stake into the ground a volleyball net
and soak in the rays beaming down
from the sun.
Classes take their leave for the weekend,
while university buildings continue to shelter students
whose work remains a weight on their shoulder.
Breaking the silence comes the announcement of noon,
courtesy of bells that send their sounds rushing
out of Memorial Hall.
Scampering squirrels interject the path of travelers
prancing down the bricks, where townspeople separate
young adults clumped together.
Horns honk,
reverberating off the pavement.
“Walk sign is on” fades into the distance.
Students sputter over the crosswalk,
racing the cars speeding towards them.
Main Street commotion fills the ears of those
who journey up the stairs,
greeted by a mini town packed into one strip of asphalt.
Air whips across faces
riddled with blushing cheeks.
Hands grip coffee drinks,
each with a unique store logo brandishing the front.
Time carries on
as errands are run
and assignments are completed.
Or
leisure takes focus
as procrastination temporarily hides to-do lists.
Picturesque,
the scene so full of life waits
to be captured in a still picture
from the lens of a phone
that can’t express the true atmosphere and movement.
Air turns cool,
sky turns dark,
and day turns night.
Grass regains its place
upright
after being indented by daytime visitors.
Today’s pushed off worries
become tomorrow’s goals.
Falling into bed at night,
basketball chains rattle outside.
The sound permeates my window.
North Central sleeps,
waiting to breathe life
into the Green
again tomorrow.
This is a poem about “the liveliness of North Central that comes to life especially with good weather,” composed by Kate Dawson, a Class of 2024 Elementary Education major in the Honors College. In celebration of National Poetry Month, “186 South College” will be posting the work of Honors students weekly throughout the month of April and May as bonus content. If you or someone you know would like to share their work as a guest writer like Kate, we are still accepting submissions at this link: https://bit.ly/186Poets22
