Featherweight

It’s the first full day of school and it’s seeming like an incredibly large amount of time to fill. How does 6.5 hours go so slowly in August but so fast in June?

AJ had a great first day, I think. His teacher had asked them each to bring a favorite book to class on the first day, but they didn’t all get to talk about it. AJ was looking forward to going back this morning to have his turn. He first chose Douglas Evans’ MVP, which, if the number of times we’ve had it out of the library (and from three different libraries at that) is any indication, is definitely his favorite book. But our most recent checkout had to be returned and the copy I ordered for his very own has not yet arrived. So instead, he brought in his second favorite, the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief.

I picked him up from school at noon and took him out to our traditional first day lunch, along with his friend O and O’s little brother and mom. At the restaurant, we ran into nearly all of the the teachers from their school (AJ’s 1st and 3rd grade teachers and O’s 3rd grade teacher were the sole exceptions that we could identify). AJ & O’s second grade teacher came over to our table to say hello to them, which made them feel about ten feet tall.

I had a less great day. I’m always a little overwhelmed by the return to school. The house is too quiet. I don’t know what to do with my hands. And even though there was a lot of work to do and plenty of time in which to fill it, I seem to have forgotten how to get organized over the summer. Or maybe I was just missing AJ. This morning I was determined to get some woodshedding done on my office, which I largely abandoned this summer. It’s a disaster area. But I couldn’t quite stand to be down there. It’s damp and unpleasant, with all the rain and humidity. And the mess was depressing me. So I’ve been wandering around the house with my laptop, like Goldilocks, trying out different chairs and rooms. Some are too soft or too uncomfortable. None seems to be inspiring the kind of writing I’d like to be doing today. But I will keep trying. And hopefully, as we all settle in to this new schedule, it will not be about the place of work, but about the work itself.

* * * * *
This week’s poetry stretch assignment was to write a back to school poem. I have to say I wasn’t feeling especially poetic about back to school this year. It was a very practical day in many respects. But I gave it a shot:

New books
Coat hooks
Pencils, sharp
Autoharp
Squeaky chairs
Many stairs
Milk box
Itchy socks
New dress
Recess
White shoes
Two by twos
Butterflies
Sleepy eyes
Book bag
Pledge to flag
Backpacks
Small snacks
Smell of ink
Classroom sink
Spelling list
Clenched in fist
Lunchroom fray
Plastic tray
Chef’s surprise
No more fries
Gym class
Balls to pass
Math team
Day dream
Chalk dust
Homework – must
Bell rings
Gather things
Home we wend
Summer’s end

Please click on the link above to see some of the other wonderful back to school poems!