Seniority

Stale air

Masses of hormone-driven teenagers

Clogging the hallways

Write this paragraph ten times

Notes passed in detention

The phone rings

Cute seniors want to talk to my brother

Walk the same way every day

Four years

And there’s a face in every corner

Dew on the Astroturf

You smile and make my day

Ropes, chains, saws

The smell of sawdust

Heartbreak and a stage, drama queen

Dreams crushed into black leather

Dance around it

Glance quickly and look away

Remind me that this is the end

Tear me away

In crowds of children

Black curtains

Spiral notebooks

Stale fries on the cafeteria floor

Daydreams in Spanish

Your eyes haunt the lyrics on my dividers

Cars crash

Adults and their childish politics

We’re wounded; some more than others

Rainbow eyeliner

Mistakes repeated a third time

Hoping someone will notice

The answer is still maybe

Kids screaming

Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me

Flashing lights and horrid music

Take my shift or I just won’t show up

Get through everything one more time

And move on

Hope to forget someday

But today

This is all we have