In mere weeks, we’ll be aghast at Halloween decor
Displayed in stores come mid September,
Roll our eyes at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter schwag.
Too early, we’ll say. Every year, out early.
But oh, Autumn, the newspaper inserts that heralded:
Discounts on scissors, white school glue, colored pencils,
3-holed binder paper, spiral notebooks, both college-ruled,
Dried my throat, made my fists clench. When, dear God, when?
Weeks ago, we pined for cool mornings,
Sendoffs with kisses, notes tucked in sack lunches,
Tied shoes, combed hair, a jacket grudgingly worn,
Tucked in a backpack by first recess.
We’ll happily sign homework, permissions, reports,
Fold ourselves into half-size chairs for discussions on shape-drawing and fluency.
We’ll send last minute snacks cut and wrapped in bite-sized chunks,
Screened for peanuts, sugar, soy, or partially-hydrogenated-whatchamacallits.
You, teachers: our saviors, our warriors, our demons, our nemeses,
Whose shoes we’re thankful we don’t wear,
We’ll take with salt the stories of your apocalyptic meltdowns,
If you’ll ignore the accounting of parental post-dinner cocktails.
Winter holidays may hold hold the cold at bay,
Early Spring flowers break the chill that seeps to bone,
Summer promises of sultry evenings, salty skin,
And pleasures of a cold drink, sweating on the patio.
All pale to the joy invoked by the bright yellow shuttle,
Chauffeuring our boisterous progeny
Away from their daily mess, open cupboards, shoes strewn about a home
Newly quiet again.
***
School. Such a good thing. You’re with me, right? Vote for my little blog if you agree by clicking below.
Photo by Hugo90
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Such a good thing. Such. A. Good. Thing.
I just have to survive until next Tuesday.
You should write a book of crappy mom poetry. I\’d read it. And I\’d love it.
Hang in there, you\’ll make it!
And thanks. This started out as a limerick, but it was too early in the morning to get that creative.
You can make limericks that arent\’ dirty?
It\’s time for the kids to go back now,
They need to learn things and schools know how,
To teach and play, and to do things all day,
So that I can relax. Wow!
Yeah, definitely need more coffee. That\’s terrible!
Haha, good try (and without coffee? I wouldn\’t even try)
Love this poem and I can TOTALLY relate! Ha.
Thank you, Melanie! Hope you and the baby are doing well.
Since my kids are teenagers and I work outside the home, 🙁 my situation is different. I prefer summer vacation when the kids are home because it\’s more relaxed for me to get to work in the mornings. Once school starts back up, mornings and even evenings are more hectic and difficult, and life is harder on me because I hate to give the kids chores on school days for them to help me out with housework.
However, I still love your poem! I agree with Anne that you should write a book of poems. I\’d read it too!
Thanks, Deborah. Yeah, I\’ve been working in a home office since the kids started school, and it\’s a whole different dynamic. The grass is always greener, I guess.