You know you graduated with the class of 2009 if...

10. You find yourself feeling jealous toward freshmen and sophomores who still have several years of school left.

9. You talk with said freshmen, who admit they have no idea what they’re going to do when they graduate, and you say, yeah, me neither.

8. You stop while doing everyday activities and think, could I make money doing this? And then: is it legal? And finally: do I care?

7. You realize that the only jobs you’re qualified for are the same ones you were qualified for prior to getting your four-year college degree.

6. Your firefox tabs are set to craigslist.com, monster.com, and fmylife.com.

5. You wonder, should I go on a date with this guy just for the free meal? His parole officer has high hopes for his rehabilitation…

4. You scramble for change in the parking lot.

3. You started bringing your laundry home again, ‘cause everyone’s already picked up the quarters.

2. What do you mean, “bring my laundry home?” I live at home, fool.

1. If it wasn’t true before, you start to see why socialism might not be such a bad idea.

10-Rupee Thrill

did you feel something new last night

as we huddled close in prayer

wondering what it would be like to be you

begging that you would know that someone cared

I feel like I know you already

you look like Manju and Sabatri and Kalpana and Usha

and their stories have become yours

lives unwanted and discarded by a society as stuck

as my own

did I walk past you once

thinking how beautiful you were

with your dark skin eyes hair lashes

haunted by the eyes of a girl

who has known too many men for such an age

raped of her childhood

and dignity

and worth

and the truth that she is beloved

do you know that I’m still thinking of you

as I awake this morning

comfortable and clothed

alone in my own bed

while you go to work once again

in the arms of a stranger

looking for a 10-rupee thrill