ugly twenties

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walking through an old campus

mostly unfamiliar

but holding one or two memories

in the falling darkness

among the 70’s-era buildings

the people look the same

pretty young things

clinging to the unspoken

rules of fashion

and the nerds

with their middle-aged

dress sense

making their way

somewhere

out of here.

a decade ago

i worked somewhere

just like this

when the future was a

highly unknown

quantity for me

it tore at me frequently

and i felt like

i was one of the walking wounded

i didn’t know then

that you’re not supposed

to know your place

in this world

secrets aren’t revealed

just like that

but i made it here

from there

and most days

it’s almost enough.