first day in senior school

Cherry

By Di_Hard

Fri, 18 Aug 2017
  • 4546 reads
15 comments
 

Rain heavy air, clear, fresh

colours drenched. I walk

through clinging grasses like hands

welcoming. Summer condensing

on twig ends in rowan berries dripping

bright memories of warm sunshine

past the pond where we'd watched tadpoles

cyrilic wriggles, feasting on duckweed.

A tiny frog, half an inch long (what's an inch, Mum?)

scrambles over bent grass blades as if

barriers in carparks or high jump hurdles

and when I look up a young deer is staring at me

ten feet away, tawny fur and shiny black nose

eyes wondering what I am doing here, alone

but you left home on time so smart

in your new uniform and tie, cut hair shiny, no tangles

and when you come home you say "it was ok"

and you're starving and I don't tell you, but later

at bedtime you share your first day

like a picnic on the duvet

of teachers and friends, how you did this well

and someone was horrid and someone was kind

and you can't wait to do science and

we are both happy. Your Dad comes to say goodnight

and I check the back door -  there's a hedgehog

in the yard, round prickly back spangled

with leaves of yellow and green

and your cat scratches to come in, then jumps

onto your bed and purs because everything

is as it should be

 

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Nature

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Beautifully done - both the vivid imagery of late summer and the rest, and I have worked out who you were, so I am especially pleased to hear that everything is as it should be

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

A lovely mixture of nature observation, and family understanding and sharing, with a little insight into that first day large experience. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

Lovely stuff.  The bit where they come in and you want to hear all about it and they just say 'OK' because they're starving  - that really made me smile.  Always in their own time.  The reassurance of everything being as it should be, after a day when nothing is as it has been before, is very precious.

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

This touches all of the senses, lovely!

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

You've captured perfectly that September, new school year feeling. I really like the way you've woven animals into the poem. Love 'summer condesing'

 

Submitted by hedgehog1 on

A perfect poem for a perfect day, I think there are many of us that have had a similar experience when our children started school.

Edward (hedgehog1)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Insert. Sometimes I am overwhelmed that we have got this far.

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou for your kind comment, Rhiannon. It seemed so many creatures, my son included, were on an adventure that day!

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Airyfairy. The seagull chicks  on the roof have just fledged and as I go off to the shop for more food I imagine the seagull mother looks at me sympathetically :0)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I am glad you like it Philip. Congratulations on your poem of the week, that was brilliant

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Jane for taking the time to read this. I wasn't sure if the two subjects fitted together so it is great to have this reassurance. We start school in August (shorter days maybe) It seems like a time of change for people and Nature

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Edward. Great Pen name! Was such a relief the day went well

 

Submitted by celticman on

everything is as it shuold be, a picture of innocence. 

 

Submitted by Stephen Thom on

Yeah this is great. Lots to appreciate. Besides the nature/family mix the poem clips along breezily, a pace and fluid flow that reflects the spill of memories... Lots of lovely diction scattered throughout, woven into lovely original phrases 'Summer condensing/on twig ends ' / 'cyrilic wriggles', hedgehog description... excellent work, much enjoyed, read it twice yes

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

You have eyes.

Parson Thru