First Day Poem

A cry, a scream, a shriek
The new life- bare, infantile, and fragile
Surrounded by people who gently massage the caches of red atop her tiny head
and piously sit, eyes closed, hands clasped, thanking God for this day-
For her first day.

Another cry, scream, shriek
The flaming red of a young girl's braids whipping about
Her hands and legs violently clutching onto the body of her young mother
Tears thundering down her round, little cheeks
with ominous fog rolling off the blacktop beyond her
While her mother just hopes that they'll get through this first day.

An internal cry, scream, shriek reverberate under the shield of perfectly straightened, scarlet hair
Other insecurities and uncertainties plaguing the adolescent's mind as she journeys
down the road,
towards unknown territory.
Walking through the halls seemed strange, foreign
And as the bell rings for the first time-
the girl takes her seat and realizes how much she is dreading her first day.

Years later there are no more tears to cry, shrieks to bellow, or screams to shout-
only silence.
The muted confidence of the ginger-haired girl follows her around as she-
Wanders the current corridors,
Meeting new faces,
Enjoying her learning of new lessons,
Becoming immersed in her new community
And crafting the start of a unique identity
A newly found excitement for her first day tingling about inside.