first day of school

you remember
the first day of school
the chill and dark sadness
of summer coming
to a close.
your new hard shoes,
and clean, unblemished
clothes. a sturdy
notebook, white from
start finish, still
doodle free, still
waiting for the first
girl's name you fall
for ending with yours.
the neat rooms,
teacher's as starched
and fresh as can
be. new books,
a new coat of paint,
the smell still hanging
in the air covering
last year's graffiti
and crude drawing
of the principal, pants
down, and bare.