June 2018
High school graduation is such a turning point for most people. I wrote this poem thinking back on a meaningful conversation I had with a fellow student just weeks before graduation, and how I didn't fathom, at the time, that graduation meant the end of many things. I advise my students to pay attention to their high school lives, and remain open to new and unexpected encounters. Some conversations may stick with a person for decades afterwards, and there are some people you never see again, after graduation.
sylviacavanaugh.com
sylviacavanaugh.com
Delicate Sky
I spoke with Thanh for the first time
at sunrise by the edge of the tidal flats.
A chance encounter in May during
a science club outing. We shared tales
of the past. He said he wished I could
see his village, drenched with the bird
song of Vietnam and green mountain
light. I saw him about three weeks later,
on graduation day, when we gave each
other a hug and smiled. I thought, then,
that we would meet again. How words
can shimmer in the pale gold of dawn.
© 2018 Sylvia Cavanaugh
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