walk through a ghost town at semester’s end. no one for miles, navigate piles. sift, dig for a grail of plastic. lost and forgotten, with raised letters. get in the car. don’t say a word. keep your head down. crossing counties with a ticking bomb. as the rush runs course, feel breath on neck. i am occupied, i don’t mean to ignore. swipe, swipe. fear sets in. the trick, know when to quit. tear, shred, hide evidence. they budget for this