In his poem Waiting in Front of the Columner High School, Karl Shapiro wrote " I felt ashamed and grave" there could be a few different reasons why he wrote this. I think this poem is about growing up not just for the daughter but for all highschool students. The speaker feels "ashamed and grave" because he feels sorry for the kids the experiences they have to face also the fact that his daughter is growing up.The narrator uses different phrases to describe the teenagers he sees. "War is written in there unwritten faces", highschool students think they are prepared for anything that comes there way wile there elders know there is a lot to learn. He also says "They pray for moments of objectivity as a drunkards pray for the one that puts you out." As a highschool student we want to know everything right away, We want it so bad that sometimes we miss out. A scary moment for the speaker is when he says "My daughter comes grows taller as she approaches", "this is a moment of panic" can both be used for the fact that she is growing up and he is losing his little girl something that all parents have to go through in some way. The speaker felt "ashamed and grave" for the fact that he misjudged the teenagers that he was spying on....
