Missed kindergarten
/
i was thinking i should bring her a backpack
but then i thought
no, that's crazy
i don't know why it's so different
from bringing her a doll for christmas
or a candle for her birthday
maybe because the backpack is so practical
it's meant to have crayons and washable markers and 5 inch rounded scissors
it's supposed to carry a little journal
that would track her ABCs and celebrate her moving
from scribble scratch to neat letters on a dotted line
and collect crushed goldfish in its bottom creases
along with tiny unicorn or mermaid erasers
a backpack is full of hope and adventure
and discovery of who that precious child will become
in this strange formidable world that all children are called to conquer
no, she does not need a backpack
to carry any of those things
she was called to something else, somewhere else
that is not near me
and i am called to bear it.
For many readers, this time of the year marks ‘back-to-school,’ which can be a particularly painful and difficult time. How are you coping?