Fire alarm rings, out into the heat
All of a sudden, kids don’t want to leave
Eme brought tamales
Leera brought treats
I brought caffeine and unresolved grief
Some kid hugged me hard enough
To crack my shoulder blade
Said, “Pennya don’t forget me.”
Kid…
I still remember students
Buried twenty years ago
Room smelled like perfume fumes
Takis and hot cheetos
And Arizona heat waiting outside
Like punishment from God
And somebody stole my good Expo marker
The dark black one
Not the gray garbage one
The good one
That’s how May works
Tiny stupid tragedies
On top of the real ones
And the lunch table saints
God bless the lunch table saints
Trading treats and survival stories
Like old soldiers too tired to posture anymore
“Rex retired.”
“Daisy’s moving.”
“Pepper’s staying.”
“You hear about—”
Yeah
We heard
Bell rings like judgment day
Kids burst through doors laughing
Backpacks flying
Phones out
Already becoming memory
And then comes the strangest sound in the world
The bilingual hallway chatter
Fading into the parking lot
English
Spanish
Arabic
Laughter
Slang
Goodbyes yelled over shoulders…Then nothing
Just fluorescent hum
Air conditioner rattle
A distant chair dragging somewhere
Like the building itself
Doesn’t know what to do without them
I found one forgotten assignment
Lying face down near my desk, Half-finished
Name missing
water stain in the corner. Should’ve thrown it away,
Couldn’t do it
Not after all these years
And somebody says
“Have a good summer, brother.” And we both smile
Like men pretending the future is guaranteed
Because sometimes August comes back around, And sometimes it doesn’t
Chorus
Raise a paper cup
To the last day bell
To the friends that kept me standing
When my whole world fell
To prep room prophets
And exhausted Theater queens
To the ones who covered classes
When I was running on fumes and caffeine
And if I never see you again
Please know this was holy ground
Right here between the broken desks
And the fire alarm sound.
(Keys jangling sound effect)
“See you in July….God willing.”
