The announcement 
Swung blunt as an axe-blow: 
All students were to leave 
Campus as soon as possible.

We think we cried, 
Our brains bleached blank. 
We were already trying to forget 
What we would live. 
What we would give. 
* * *
Beware the ides of March. 
We recognized that something ran 
Rampant as a rumor 
Among our ranks. 
Cases bleeding closer, 
Like spillage in a napkin.
There is nothing more worrisome 
Than a titan who believes itself 
Separate from the world. 
* * *
Graduation day. 
We don't need a gown. 
We don't need a stage. 
We are walking beside our ancestors, 
Their drums roar for us, 
Their feet stomp at our life. 
There is power in being robbed 
& still choosing to dance.