Entry for the Seattle Rep's Speech and Debate Contest

On the Editorial Page

I recognized a name from high school,
tenth grade English, someone
near enough on the seating chart
that I’d always hear her voice
in the minutes before class started.
People liked her. In the homecoming assembly
she wore a long, dark red dress.

Assemblies were noisy, and school
wore me out. I used to take naps
at two o’clock when I came home
and in the late afternoon, I liked
to walk the dog before dinner. One time
someone passed by in a small, black car,
waved a little, and smiled at me.

I feel almost certain this was her.