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Middle School Once Upon a Time

Foursquare school
stands as a lone steward
to another era
I half expect
to climb those stairs
to find that
blonde, mischievous boy
papers spilling out of his backpack
time spilling out for both of us
immersed full fledge
in middle school
a foot in two worlds
dropping him off
Hollister T-shirt army of kids
teachers call me in
behavior problems
suits up for sports
doesn’t make the A teams
crushed feelings
We climb the stairs for Open House,
choir concerts, basketball games
gym full of rivalry, sweat and heat
now just an imprint on time
adolescents and fragile crushes
the girls that wore Abercrombie & Fitch
waft through the former
junior high
now turned into an elementary school
seems a bit out of wack
I climb the stairs to the library now
half expecting to get a glimpse
through that thin cosmic veil
and find the boy
who roamed those halls
and left part of me there
stuck in junior high

Published infamilypoetry

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  1. Oh, those middle school days where the crushes felt so real! ♡ This is such a beautiful way of expressing the edginess of liking someone and even breaking rules, lingering in the school halls and all you described hit me like a ton of bricks, Lana.

    • Thanks Robin, it’s actually about my son, College Boy. They have now turned this into an elementary school and I sub there quite a bit for the librarian. Memories…

    • Oh, so the boy in the hall was your son. Cool perspective, Lana. I like to feel that my children who are grown will always include me. It must be a little hard while your son is away at college. Thanks for listening to my interpretation.

      • Well that’s the beauty in the art of writing…the interpretation. The middle school trials and tribulations are rather universal for all of us, it’s just strange for me going into the school now and it’s an elementary and even though it wasn’t that long ago since he was a student there, it seems like a lifetime. Thanks for reading and sharing your wonderful comments 🙂

  2. I’m glad I read your response to Robin. Interesting. Middle school years are such a sign of the times. I can only imagine what the middle school my son went to will be like in 20 years.

    • It’s a sentimental journey for sure. It actually has only been 6 years since he was there, he’s now a college freshman, but the school has changed altogether and six years is a long time in a kid’s life. The LFO song is from a considerably earlier time, but contained the
      nostalgia of growing up in a particular time period and of course the Abercrombie thing…the t-shirts, especially Hollister are still a big thing here which is funny because the Rock Guy says Hollister is rural farming country full of strawberry fields and not a surfing hideout. I have written about it in the Ritchie Valens’ post I did some while back.

  3. This brings back some very wonderful memories, L.T. I can recall my first crush on a girl named Angela. Sigh. I must have flunked several tests just staring at her.

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