From the collection published in 2021, The Immediate and No Sooner.
Some Kind of Radar, Maybe?
teenagers
creeping past they just
turtle walk
Molasses
in January slow stroll
up to the high school
Wind, rain, sun –
they pace out the route
exactly
right. Bell rings
Doors close. They are inside. Just.
How do they do it?
1/23/20
shadorma chain
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
Captured it perfectly!
Thank you. I live across the street from the high school and I see this all the time. In fact my own son was one of these kids. Never a minute late but…never a minute early either!
This is such a universal truth, isn’t it? And I bet they aren’t wearing enough layers for the climate either.
They are wearing flip flops. All year round. That’s the one that makes me shiver this time of year.
Yes! A parent wearing slides came to pick up one of my students last week when it was perishing cold.
I saw a guy wearing shorts walking a dog in Lorimer Park a couple of days ago, on a 20 degree day. I really have to wonder what is going on when people do that. Is it a statement or they really don’t feel it?
I think some people are very warm-bodied and don’t feel the cold (whereas I am the opposite) but I definitely know some people for whom it is a show of bravado and a source of pride.