GRADUATION
All the things the young will do and see
that I never will.
All the things I’ve seen and done
that they never will—the trade-off
seems fair.
I walk down the block,
the elms lined up
like they are on inspection—
“Those shoes need more shine,
Suermondt,” the sun hanging
over my shoulder as if it cares.
—from Rattle #34, Winter 2010
__________
Tim Suermondt: “The day after a February snow storm the sun came out, and I watched a group of high school students standing on the street corner, all of whom would soon have to face ‘the real world’ and all that that entailed. And despite the years between us, I felt like those teenagers: ready to go—damn the disappointments and worse. And like me, they’d learn to hang in and even occasionally triumph.” (web)
