Twenty five later, and I can still go back on rainy days

A grey canopy of sky, a consistent sprinkle, squeaky windshield wipers

I’m driving in Kalamazoo but my mind is on State Street and University Avenue

It’s 1994

Hundreds of Wolverines cross the street at the stop sign with the blinking light

Impervious to the rain, some in yellow (maize) ponchos, but most just wet

Their backpacks emblazoned with block m’s, their walk consistent in the rain

From one class to another, Basia playing on the tape deck in the Ford Tempo

We crawled through the intersection as the wipers did another cycle

And Dad did his best not to brush anyone’s kneecaps with the wet bumper