As our class moves up
Our need to progress goes down
We are scared of what comes next
We are scared of the unknown
What do we do when night falls and suddenly we’re not home anymore?
What do we do when we get hurt and Mom isn’t around the corner with a bandaid?
We glue on fake smiles, some toothy, some gummy, some filled with the same colorful braces from middle school to show our fear
We sling on backpacks, familiar faces from our childhood protect us from what creeps up from behind
Tinkerbell, Minnie Mouse, Lightning McQueen, unicorns, and kitties, keep us safe in a time when our worries were going to the park and what snack we could get after swim lessons
We act out
We skip class
We spend more time at home
We know it’ll all be over soon
Twelve years felt so long but time is running out
Soon we have to walk a stage in a black gown with faces from second-grade
They will stand and use the same recycled speech just with different wording
They will wish us all good luck and well wishes but will only remember a few
We are living the now
We will act out, skip class, spend more time at home
It is over
