FRIDAY, MARCH 8

The cafeteria is being set up for the science fair

All the science geeks setting up their presentations.

It’s not like movies, where the projects are volcanoes

and rudimentary machines built with coffee cans.

Our science geeks are serious: organ donation research

Perpetual-motion machines

Cloud services for breast cancer diagnosis

Sand bioreactors

Our school always wins trophies

and the faces in the setup are focused,

ignoring everyone not affiliated with the fair.

Today is also the first track meet

and Jacob and Tierra

and the other runners cluster

in the halls between classes,

pacing like tigers,

prickly and electric.

Part of me wants to cross the chasm,

tell them I’ll be there beside them

at the starting line. But every time

I pass the cafeteria I see the Colonel,

walking between tables, offering advice,

always laughing, setting everyone

at ease but me.