A mood that should be understood by any college student who
has been wandering idly towards their dorm when it came time for
others to go to class. The penultimate line is an inside pun -
the dorm I lived in was not only east of the academic wings, it
was called East Dorm.
Patri Friedman
Creative Writing
3/98
Lazy Observation or Wednesday, 1:12PM
first come the Walkers.
ambling.
casual.
confident -
time is plentiful.
a few nod at me, and smile.
then descends a wave of Rollers,
roarings of bearings tortured,
dirt sprays surflike.
some are on one,
others two,
four,
eight.
(who do we appreciate, exactly?)
they streak by Strollers,
turning,
passing,
weaving,
through the biomass.
none notice me
my glacially slow frame has rendered me invisible.
the focal point shifts.
moving westward in the name of progress.
the Rollers' leading edge crashes against the concrete,
tossing up planks, wheeled shoes, infernal contraptions.
abandoned while owners disappear.
the Pedestrians need no u-locking pauses:
chattering and bubbling, they drain
steadily into the sinkholes of doors and stairways.
their level drops until few are left.
suddenly,
awkwardly,
the final group appears:
the Runners.
knapsacks bouncing,
chests gasping,
glancing worriedly at timepieces,
me they are too busy to see
but i point and laugh.
the quickest mingle with trailing Walkers.
sliding in just before the door slams.
the rest must face empty, echoing halls
and the embarassment of interruption.
i laugh at Walkers, Rollers, and Runners alike
for i am eastward bound:
wine coolers and cartoon network await.
Last Modified: The Beginning of a New Millennium