Poem: A Thousand Others

Beep, Beep at five
In the morning.
The dawn still breaking,
Early birds chirping,
A car engine ripping
through the calm morning.
And me, in the cold air
Of my room.

Seven thirty in the morning.
“Goodbye kids,”
The bus driver calls.
I almost miss the shuttle to class.
Nearly eleven in the afternoon.

Introductions,
Name games and
My first Academy experience
Later,
Back on the bus.

Twenty minutes later at lunch,
Relief hits like a wave.
I see my best friend
Saving me a seat at her table,
Even though I’m ten minutes late.

Two fifty-five.
School’s out.
But not yet for me as I go
Down to the athletes locker rooms.
After waiting a lifetime for my
Cross country locker and uniform,
I leave for practice.

Five twenty-five.
I’m home in the sanctuary of my bedroom.
And I realize,
Frantic though my long day was,
A thousand others
Were right there with me
On our first day of high school.