Out of M y

JeMifer S. Blandford

aDon't do it! DON'T! Ihate thatbrickwall. Please, don't tooossss me

Oh, thankyou "~—... %erymuch. Ireallyneeded that '"-.. acrobaticpractice, you idiot! X

You know, it's notaneasylifebeingyourbook bag You'reforevergripingand complaining about how much work you haveto do and how much stressyou'reunder Well, let me tellyou this— ifitwasn't for me, you'dbenowhere. You probablywouldn'thaveevenmade itthis far in yourcollege career. Ikeep you organizedand in control. Isaveyou alot of money in lostbooksand pencils. Ievencarryyourtwo most *preciouspossessions: yourI.D. and dorm key.

And this isthethanksIget?

All daylong, you tossme around Firstonthe brickwall, thenagainstotherbagsas you forgeyour Way throughDeMoss duringrushhour You takeme to convocationand dropme onthatcold, cementfloor *You lay me down among hundredsof otherinferiorbagsand tosswetumbrellason me at lunch You load my pocketswiththosegreasycookiesyou'realwayssmuggling outof the cafeteria.You dragme along on the ground when yourshoulderistiredfrom the burdenIbearfor you. What do you thinkall thatweight doesto my arms? And Iwon'tevenbotherto mentionthoseatrociousred-claystainsyou neverbotherto wipeoff me Thenyou dragme to yourdorm and toss me around again, sometimesonyourbed, sometimes cm yourmetalchair, generallyon the floor Thatcarpetkillsmy skin, you know it? Oh, ifI could onlycount thenumber of burnsI'vereceivedat yourhands

Yourkeyspoke me.

You useme for apillowbetweenclasses

You leaveme lyingabouthaphazardly.

Remember thattimesomeone accidentallykidnapped me? You found areplacementrightaway;but men, when Iwas returned, you hidthatotherpieceof junkunderyourbed Thatmade me feel prettygood Atleastitmade up for when you weretooembarrassed to carryme in highschool

And yet, through all this timeand for much more to come, I'veservedyou faithfully And now look at whatyou'redoing. You'retossingme around.

IfsabouttimeI goteven

Yes, Ithinkthatnew bottle of Drakkaryourgirlfriendgaveyoujustlastnightwill smellreallyniceas a bookbath. Atleastitmightdrown thesmellof thoserankP.E. clothesI'vebeenputtingup withallsemester.

Maybe afterthis, you'll see me as thevaluablecollegeaccessoryI trulyam, and thenI'll get aportionof therespectfultreatmentI deserve.

A familiarsceneat Marriott: Abused and neglected backpacks crammed intocubbyholes. Many students choose tokeeptheir backpacks withthem for fearoflosingthem inthe muddle.

Backpack or attache case — both are vital to the student's career. With all the extra necessities they hold, there's barely room for books.