New shoes; brown, with brown strings.
Beige pants, white shirt, brown belt,
Brown buckle, white socks, brown hair,
Five and a half, and a turtle named Ralph.

One day more,
First day school,
One day more.

My son teaches his turtle to hide
It’s head and feet like a hare, inside.

Wish I was five and a half then, again.

Old sneakers; dirty brown, black cap,
Baggie shorts, white T-shirt, brown socks,
Round patches, white hankie with brown stripes,
Had gone to class, and my favorite teacher, Miss Talff.

First door there,
Down the hall,
First door there.

She wore a scent of honeysuckle, try to hide,
From head to feet, dreamlike, the field brought inside.

Wished she would have thought about me if then.

Then is not now, except the same school and,
A new generation with different rules they have,
Higher expectations, setting a new standard now,
Twenty five years later, stepping now forward myself.

The same smell,
The same door,
The same smell.

She steps out that door, Miss Talff, or is it still Miss?
From her gray hair, only an older frame from the outside.

Wish her a new youth as if yesterday again, and again.

©2007, Ron Globe