Poetry

No Time for Summer

Neverending poem prompt: Summertime

Each year the ritual clock watching occurs In classrooms across the nation Is it time yet? Is it time? The school day morphs into the first of summer The minute hand slows, reluctant to free them The children vibrate with the thought of it Liberation Freedom from rising with the sun Freedom from tense gobbled breakfasts and unfinished homework From disappointing pizza days, mean girls, and dodge ball The heart-soaring joy of it when the bell rings at last Formalities complete, “Have a good summer, Mr. Mazur!” “Do you have my number, Meg?” “Is the pool open yet?” “Can I catch a ride with you?” The inmates break free of the asylum and spill forth In sun-kissed euphoria Breaching the gates of Summerland “No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks!”

This time, the school year ended Not with a shout but a question mark It begins again for everyone With the fear and uncertainty, outcasts know so well All joy, all ritual abolished From the first day as it was from the last Survival’s knee rests on the neck of Knowledge

©2020, Denise Shelton. All rights reserved

Thank you, Marla Bishop, for the prompt: Summertime

If anyone else wants to play, please do. I’ll tag a few to get the ball rolling: Laura Manipura Michelle Monet Suli Breaks Dennett Mayo Agard-Olubo Terijo Zach J. Payne John Horan Bonnie Flach Zadi Diaz

Here’s a new prompt: Fragrance

(You can use either this one or the one above.)

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