POETRY JAM - BACK TO SCHOOL

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” - AlbertEinstein

This week PoetryJam has as a theme “Back to School”:

“Think about what the first day of school evokes for you. Do you have sweet or bitter memories? Does one particular year stand out? Why? Are your children or grandchildren going back soon? What is or was it like to accompany them on their very first day?”

Here is my contribution.

First School Day

The first few drops of rain

On sun-baked soil have a special smell –

Turmeric mixed with soft green moss,

And a freshness, a vitality, an electricity,

The discharge of a spark of static.

The first school day

In a newly-cleaned classroom has a special smell:

Freshly-sharpened pencil (cedar), sharp ink,

And the subtler aroma of new schoolbooks,

Wide-open on desktops.

The walls full of maps and posters

Strange photographs, alphabet cards, art;

A brave new world to explore,

A wondrous adventure waiting to happen

And new friends to share it with.

The wide-open eyes, filling with images;

New sounds, new tasks, a new order of things.

The crest-fallen look of grim realisation

That you are not alone and not-so-special anymore,

A rose unique and solitary

Suddenly immersed within an endless rose-garden…

The golden afternoon, warm autumn sunshine,

And the walk back home –

A young mind bursting at the seams,

A blessed fatigue of brain and body;

But all to be made good simply, easily, quickly

With a glass of milk and cookies…