Contrasting Positions
My steps up the blacktop walkway from the lower parking lot sound louder and louder. The off-white, windowed, one-story hallway ahead grows. My heart beats faster with each step. A knot in my throat, like an invisible hand choking me, tightens. By the time I reach the door, I have breathed so many short breaths that I wonder why I don’t pass out.
no blue skies
over TZHS
another dread day
The front steps from the double-width sidewalk ascend like the stairs of an ancient Greco-Roman temple. The wrought-iron door groans as I pull it from its doorway. I slip past the metal detectors, ascend the spiral staircase to the second floor. Then, I enter the Special Education prep room and lounge. Linda S, already there, laughs so loudly, even first thing in the morning.
thunderheads
over Columbus High School
just another day
