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