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Paul
Hertelendy |
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POET
LAUREATE OF THECOLUMNISTS.COM |
By PAUL HERTELENDY
of TheColumnists.com
Student hangout. Silver
linings, none,
But ambiance, abundant.
Midst rustic paneled wood (unpainted),
Tables of well-aged formica full of scholars who are
High in IQ, low in dollar bills and decibels,
Devouring reading matter found on every table
Set beside the good-health sandwiches on multi-grain.
Sandals, sweaters---clothes for every clime extreme---
And sagging, bustled backpacks, everywhere.
Coeds stream in, ordering their quickie meals
While burning time a mile a minute
On their cell phones clasped to ear,
As tight as glue,
Their minds a thousand miles away.
This brief oasis offers
rest
While outer worlds are turning, churning
Lightning fast,
Barely slowing pace
Except when class-bound cyclists and pedestrians
Stop dead in tracks
For traffic lights that lend,
Just like our prized oasis,
Short-lived semblances of sanity.
©2004
by Paul Hertelendy. Paul Hertelendy is a critic with the San
Francisco Bay Area arts website www.artssf.com. To visit his website, click
here: PAUL
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