The South Hadley Six Poem by Justin Gildow

Do you still have your homecoming
crown?
Do you still have your football
jersey?
Do you still have your prom
gown?
Did you worship the kids on
' Laguna Beach '?
Did you admire the girls on
' The Hills '?
Did you fawn over the kids
of ' Newport Harbor '?

Despise me or resent me
You 6 have nothing I want
Nothing I need

Yes, Phoebe's gone
She's long gone
She's not coming back

Time heals wounds
But history never forgets
It also never relents

I look at you six
The South Hadley Six
Two guys who wore the crowns
Because they were athletes
Four girls who wore the homecoming
gowns
Queen bees and prom queens

I sit alone in the dark
I sit alone in the silence
Writing down my poems
Writing my lovesick sonnets
Poems that I'm proud of
Poems that have helped many
Poems that have helped other
honorable loners and longing
lovesick romantics to have hope
And the ability to cope
And to put away the rope

I wonder where you six are
Especially now
Did you all go to college?
Or did you all crash and burn?
Seeing your superiority fade away
Seeing everything that put you at
the top crumble down

Passing by South Hadley High
School
I slowly shake my head
And think of what could have
been
I continue on my way
Walking along

Reaching my destination
Starbucks
In South Hadley, MA
I stop in
And the baristas greet me
Finding a seat
I sit down
My barista delivers me my
hot chocolate
And I crack open my notebook
As I begin to write new poems

Who knows if we'll cross paths
But I know I have no interest
in crossing paths with you six
As I'm sure you six won't with me
In South Hadley