Newspoem.

Brown Anxiety Dream #1

I am entering the creative writing program at Brown as an MFA student. I
arrive on campus late. My first class is P.E. I am surrounded by
strangers, my new colleagues, in a noisy gymnasium, all of us in motley
athletic garb, none of us of noticeably athletic build. We are to play
soccer. Inexplicably I am chosen to be a team captain. I pick first,
selecting at random from people I have never met, whose soccer abilities
are indeterminate. It is awkward and rushed and I try to learn people's
names without success. One guy I pick, a blond endomorph with glasses,
seems to recognize my dilemma and is somewhat supportive. We play soccer
indoors on a basketball court, with other activities taking place on the
sidelines. I have trouble remembering who is on my team when I need to
pass, we have all just met. Somehow, during the proceedings, I discover I
have lost my wallet. I crawl around the perimeter of the court
searching for it. Finally I find a scrap of paper torn from an engagement
calendar bearing Scott Rettberg's name. Using this scrap, I find the
remains of my belongings. By now the period is over and the game has
already ended. Should I be concerned about how my things were destroyed?`

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