My early evening walk took me toward the Hubert Humphrey Middle School. As I approached, I realized the parking lot was full. I heard a loudspeaker announcing names. Ah, I thought, graduation in the stadium. I smiled, remembering when my daughters graduated from Humphrey Middle School. I soon discovered I was wrong. Cars were circling the building. Teachers, gathered by the east door, applauded when the principal read a youngster’s name and someone handed the student their diploma. Sometimes the near-by drivers honked their horns. A drive-by graduation. Covid was still setting school rules. The Happy Warrior must be sad.
Wilda Morris, a widely-published poet, is workshop chair for Poets & Patrons of Chicago. Her latest book is "Pequod Poems: Gamming with Moby-Dick." Find Wilda online at wildamorris.blogpost.com.