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Friday, May 25, 2012

Do I Live Here?

Left turn
Right turn
Up the stairs
Down the stairs
I'm back to where I started.
Frown.

It's my first day here
And my mind is full of fear.

I'm a freshman euphonium player,
Who's here at Ohio University,
A week before school starts,
For the Marching 110's Freshman Training Camp.

As if that isn't overwhelming enough.

I'm supposed to be living in James Hall,
that one dorm on West Green.
Too bad there's construction going on over there,
And did I mention there's no running water too?
UGHHHHHH.
Just my luck.

Now, I'm stuck in Weld House for the weekend.
Weld House.
What kind of a name is "Weld" anyway?
So far away from everything,
Like when prisoners behave badly,
they're sent to an isolation chamber.
Ya, isolated is how I feel
When I'm in my poorly cooled room.
Sharing a bathroom as small as a shoe
With at least three other girls.

Too bad I've only been there once
And I can't seem to find it.

On my lunch break,
I'm sprinting to find this place,
All by myself.
The sun is beating on my back like a bass drum.
I'm sweating so much, I'm like a waterfall.
I need my music binder,
But I can't seem to locate my room!
I'm going up and down the stairs,
Practically running around in circles.
Like a mouse on a spinning wheel.
Trying to reach for that cheddar cheese,
But can't seem to reach it.

All I see are hideous brick walls
And off-white colored doors,
Just making me even more confused.
I want to break down and cry.
This building's like a maze.
Which is funny, because it's miniscule compared to other dorms.
I feel so silly,
Because it's been 45 minutes of nothing.
I need to hurry back to practice,
Without a music binder in hand.

Left turn
Right turn.
I'm back to where I started.

4 comments:

  1. I like the way you begin and end the poem in the same way. I'm having a lof of trouble with the line, "ya, that's how I feel". It takes me out of the poem a bit.

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  2. I agree there, Katie, that line does lose something, I think. But, I appreciate your imagery, "Sun beating down on my back like a bass drum," and all. Good stuff.

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  3. I really enjoyed all the analogies in this poem! It was fun reading this! I also agree with Katie. I do like the way you begin and end in the same way.

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  4. good stuff here, Rachel, but I wonder if there's too much explanation to really make us feel like we're in your mind. For instance, I bet you weren't thinking the stuff about you being a freshman euphonium player. So, this actually has the feeling of a script more than a reflection of thoughts-in-the-moment.

    So, how can you set the scene without telling it? How can you show your anxiety even more purely?

    Dave

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