EMILY PROCEEDING
Row after row, caps and
gowns identical
The Okemos High School class
of 2016
Process to Pomp and
Circumstance
And somehow emerge as
individuals
Each with a past unique
Is reminded by speakers of
what they shared
Sitting among friends and those who cared
Not alphabetized
Not alphabetized
They move across the stage
Away from the familiar
Name after name
Toward futures largely personal
I wonder how many will
Get the words of the Alma
Mater
Memorized
DRK
June 5, 2016
