Fitchburg State University - Saxifrage Yearbook (Fitchburg, MA)

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Whiteness blurred the faces of semi- strangers whose backs were turned to the wind. He lit a cigarette, anticipating the nicotine rush. It always put things into perspective. Something important just occurred. It was labeled The Last Final Exam in the file cabinet of his mind. Strange how his mind refused to attach any importance to this event. Gust another rite of passage, kid) Familiar buildings glided by. Memories clung to him like the heavy snowflakes. How many classes had he rushed into late, after an evening of excesses? It was always I ' ll worry about it tomorrow, never believing for one moment that there was such a thing. He took another drag, the smoke mingling with his winter exhalation. A stranger passed him. They would never know each other now. Caffeine. That would clear his thoughts. He opened the door to the Conlon building, shaking the snow off his shoes, his long coat, his hair. Inside, the Coke machine relinquished a can of soda. He sat down heavily. Brain cells awoke to the poison in his system and he focused all his attention on the burnin g stub in his hand. The entire four years flashed by in a blur of images. (let go) All those faces, all those names. Every fact or emotion seemed instantly available to him. This one moment would be imprinted with flashbulb clarity for the rest of his life. He drew a deep breath. He breathed in oneness, never wanting to exhale. This oneness was never even asked for; just offered naturally. He belonged to his surroundings, just as he was leaving. The halls echoed his sentiment. (sorry kid, the party ' s over)

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- - THE SAXIFRAGE

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CRRE F S-im Shut up. (time for someone else to take your place. They ' ll be where you are soon enough) His last final. (it ' s been going on for a long time. Time is just up) As these last thoughts came to him, a door opened. A familiar face called his name. He sat down to talk. (a healthy person belongs to exactly where they are) College is over, who said anything about the party. — Michael Koykka -m ft ii l!