for Andrea (1973-1988)

Of course, we lowly sophomores got sixth-bell lunch. The last, most
Ravenous pack, we’d grab aluminum-wrapped chicken sandwiches
And soggy fries, snag a chocolate milk, if any remained, pay, then
Nestle beside our weighty backpacks, someone always scrambling to
Get seventh-bell’s homework done while the rest of us play cards,
Eat, read, gossip. In 1988 we have no Facebook, no smart phones to 

Check. We give and get our statuses in person—relationship updates
Relayed over mayo-mixed ketchup puddles, news and hopes discussed
Under the comforting buzz of a hundred other cafeteria conversations.
Sliding in late, my best friend feeds us details of her dermatologist visit,
Happily reports on the prescription, not knowing this is how her life ends.

originally published in The Book of Bad Betties (Bad Betty Press, UK)

Jill Michelle's latest poems appear/are forthcoming in BoomerLitMag,  DMQ Review, Funicular Magazine, Tipton Poetry Journal and Valley Voices. Recent anthology credits include The Book of Bad Betties (Bad Betty Press, UK) and Words from the Brink (Arachne Press Limited, UK). She teaches at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. Find more of her work at byjillmichelle.com.