We were sophomores who had shaken off 20-something credits
while taking on water in our steadily sinking academic lives
A whole year spent weaning off weekends in our hometown
left us isolated and alone in our rooms
You were a bull,
militant, or adamant to change
I was one too, in a fashion
with differences that seem to matter little now
When autumn had firmed into hard and steady ground
I finally grew tied of feeling sorry for myself
and shed what little was left for dead
And started brand new
with a heart that could finally let go
and begin to heal