Winter Walk to School

A Morning Scene

I place the lunch, quickly prepared,

into your school bag.

Your hands, bent with the cold,

slip gently into my pocket.

Walking side by side,

we take small steps together

along the winter road to school.

I pause, not wanting to face the cold morning.

At your soft, earnest request,

I step outside without delay.

I find myself wondering

when it was that I last walked this way, on my own way to school.

On this winter morning,

I begin to notice the scenes I once missed.

Children in the same school uniforms

pass by us,

their faces young and bright,

full of fresh, growing life.

I remember small desks,

hard wooden chairs,

and a blackboard covered

with scattered chalk dust.

We sat close together then,

listening to lessons

that quietly filled the room.

At times, I wish I could return

to those simple days.

Buying writing paper and pens

from the stationery shop,

walking around with friends,

stopping to eat snacks.

There were so many things

I did not see

because I was always rushing,

so many feelings

I could not yet understand

before I knew the world.

Now, on this school road,

the morning scenery I once overlooked

comes back to me.

Each face, gently flushed,

fresh like the morning air.

It feels slightly missed,

and for that reason,

it rises quietly in my thoughts once again.

*these are my own paintings*