26/08/2026
Third class, Second class & what should have been our littlest princess's First day of Junior Infants β€οΈ We hope everyone has a great first day π
The morning sun is bright and clear,
The neighborhood is loud,
With little shoes on pavements crisp,
And mothers holding proud.
I see the tiny backpacks pass,
The uniforms so neat,
The nervous, excited chatter
Echoing down our street.
Today should be your milestone day,
The morning we planned out,
With photos by the front hallway,
And capturing your shout.
I should be packing up your lunch,
And kneeling on the floor,
To tie your little laces tight
Before we reached the door.
I should be holding back my tears,
And letting go your hand,
To watch you walk into a world
That I had carefully planned.
I should be wondering if youβd share,
Or make a brand-new friend,
And counting down the lonely hours
Until the day would end.
But there is no small uniform,
No backpack on the hook.
No lunchbox filled with favorite treats,
No crisp, unwrinkled book.
The quiet in our kitchen now
Is heavy and profound,
An empty space where there should be
Your bright and joyful sound.
I hold your memory close to me,
Beneath this autumn sky,
And ask the wind to carry up
A gentle, soft good-bye.
You do not walk through schoolhouse doors,
Or play out in the yard,
And carrying this unspent love
Is beautiful and hard.
I wonder what you would have learned,
And who you would have been,
On this, your first official day,
In worlds we haven't seen.
So go and run through fields of stars,
Unbound by schoolyard bells,
While in the quiet of my heart,
Your sweet classroom dwells.