Western

You find yourself in a narrow bed you’ve never slept in,

on a tree-lined grassy field you’ve never walked upon,

on a cold toilet seat you have not sat on,

in a place you now call your home, your learning, your future.

Red stone pathways expose the buildings that will house

the knowledge you seek,

and the information you want to gather.

You crane your neck to look up

at the 13-story brick tower rising from the ground,

looming over you as you walk past. The melodies

and beats of different songs mix,

create a sound of their own,

flow from open windows. Crushed leeks

Top Ramen noodles ground into a blue

and speckled carpet attract armies of ants

to the communal kitchen on the sixth floor.

You pull your jacket tighter against your body,

strong, salty wind whips off the Sound,

and up the hill as you walk through

Red Square toward the clatter of knives,

forks and digesting bellies.

Finally, you are released like a white dove

from the hands of its owner, allowed to fly

discovering your dreams,

discovering what you are made of.