FINALS

By : Ryan Diaz

We’re waiting for the last bell, that inevitable

Rattling ring that signals the beginning of summer.

Of course, now at the end, the clock

Decides to take its time, as if our

Collective anticipation

Grinds it’s gears to a stuttering halt—

The second hand, for all its speed,

Crawling on its belly, dragging

Itself across the white face

Of a ten-dollar clock.

I wish I knew then what I know now,

That time only picks up after twenty.

One moment you’re waiting for summer to begin,

Riding the subways to the beach and

Hiding 5 dollar Coronas in the sand,

And the next your whole life

Has passed you by and every

New year feels like it comes too soon,

And that last bell, the one you so desperately longed for,

Rings when you least expect it—the last toll before the end.

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Ryan Diaz is a poet and writer from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and is currently completing a MA in Biblical Studies. He is the author of two poetry books, For Those Wandering Along the Way, and Skipping Stones. Ryan’s writing attempts to find the divine in the ordinary, the thin place where fantasy and reality meet. He currently lives in Queens, NY with his wife Janiece. Keep up with Ryan’s work at www.avagueidea.com.