RITE OF PASSAGE

It's that day again

Seems to have come round far too quick

You wanted it to come

And now it's here

You wish it wasn't

End of school, end of year

That crazy day when everyone's kissing

And crying and tear-stained hugging

Mascara ruining emotional faces

And murmers and promises

I'll see you again

I'll see you again, don't worry!

We'll meet next week

We'll write, email, talk on the phone

We'll message, see you later ...

Don't feel alone!

The teachers you loved

And the ones you didn't

Sometimes you can't tell

As they pat you goodbye

Or shake your hand

Whether it's with relief or real feeling

That you part

But you crouch in the corner

Watching them go

Almost adult now

Shrinking away from and embracing

All those different lives

And you think

Will I be missed?

Did I make a difference?

Will I be missed too?

It's a rite of passage

Life moves on

You can't suspend time

And you think

I hope they miss me

And you walk away homewards

Lonely now

It's over