Back to School
(or)
A New Box of Crayons
There is nothing as sweet as the waxy aroma
of a brand new 64-count box of Crayola crayons
bought especially for that first day of school.
It has the crayon sharpener right on the box!
And oh, the most marvelous feeling:
sliding the very first crayon out of its sleeve.
Periwinkle Blue! Carnation Pink! Burnt Siena!
What does it mean, this little box of crayons?
Summer is over! Those lazy, creative days sitting
under the maple tree, dreaming of 'next school year'
are etched forever as summer memories,
and those encouraging messages
from last June now come to fruition.
New books, new shoes, new clothes,
New hope, new friends! Old ones, too,
but now with new stories to share.
Early autumn, with its cool breezes,
whisks variegated leaves that dance
among fallen, multi-hued apples:
Nature's fresh box of crayons
tossed with a sanguine force that energizes
each step toward the school's front door.
Like the rainbow after a summer rain,
kind smiles herald enlightenment
that radiates from a Teacher's love.
© Jeanne I. Lakatos
