That Old College Sweatshirt

Mia Winhertt

There is something
Surprisingly warm
About that old college sweatshirt
That makes me wear it
Multiple times at home,
After all these years.
That something is nostalgia.

There is something
Inexplicably beautiful
About that dull grey colour
That I otherwise don’t favour,
Calling it too drab
For my otherwise colourful wardrobe.
That something is nostalgia.

There is something
Undoubtedly comfortable
About that heavy fabric
That makes me relaxed
Against the weather,
Inside and out.
That something is nostalgia.

When I stand wearing it
In front of the mirror,
Sometimes with the hood on,
For a second or two,
I see that girl of yore again
Or at least remember her —
The one I used to be.

Have I changed?
Of course, yes!
It would have been scary
Had the answer been no.
Some for the better,
Some for we’ll see.
But the process goes on.

In the midst of all the change,
It’s good
Or rather heartening, I must say,
To have along something
As a token of my past,
As a proof of how far I’ve come,
As a constant.

What’s better still is
To be able to wear it,
Allowing it to transport,
Allowing it to transform,
Allowing it to turn back time,
Telling me it’s mine.
Oh, my old college sweatshirt!

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