12. one hour behind in Chicago time

one hour behind in Chicago time
i submit my organic chemistry homework one hour later 
than i'd like
grade report: 0%
the silliness of it all makes me smile
beyond the window i'm facing
the skyscrapers are slick with the morning's rain
a gull sails around N Rush St
flags of five different sports teams 
flap cheekily back at me
and everything is slower in this city
to a girl from the Big Apple
i can't take my mistakes seriously
so what if i flunk out of this class
flunk out of this school
flunk out of these dreams
scribbled all over the margins of my notebooks 
so what