The Hour of Pearl

For the evening classes I took in college during winter
I would bundle up in layers
Before making the mile or so trek from Holmes Hall
To get across campus

By the time the classes let out
The campus was all but abandoned
And I felt like I was walking in
The ruins of a once great civilization, still preserved
The sound of the street lamps humming were amplified like thunder
Projecting for miles and miles as they sang electric

I measured my steps in between posts to keep time
I held no station
I was unbound, I was directionless
My dorm room was a prison, and I was in no rush to get back
Despite the freezing cold
I watched my breath dance
And wished for college to be over or for things to get better