Monday, August 27, 2012

Back to School

Photo by L. Kolp- My Precious Children


I dreamed of quiet days
days of contentment with
no TV or Wii blaring in my ears,
no fighting or I’m bored complaints,
no drifting hours scorned because we never do a thing,
no squished raisins in the couch cushions,
no uphill climb towards something better than this,
no wishing for a backyard pool,
no washing clothes changed too often,
no captive audience, a cluster ‘round my desk,
no arms on my waist ready for a hug,
no sweetness to cuddle with on the couch,
no midday treats at Sonic (2 to 4, of course),
no guarantee of safety or protection from bullies,
no laughter to rouse the midday slumps,
no jokes, no squeals, no crumbs, no spills-
ARGH! This silence is killing me.

Prompt inspiration:

Shawna at Flipside Records gives us prompt words on Mondays. Here are the ones I chose: cluster, raisins, washing, sweetness, overwhelm, waist, climb, rouse, contentment, scorned

Also linked to Real Toads Open Link Monday

28 comments:

Mary said...

Ah yes, you expressed your thoughts well in this poem. Sometimes it is hard to adjust to what we THOUGHT we wanted; and we miss what we didn't know we loved.

Susan said...

I suggest you tape them tonight so that you can play the tape during quiet times. Seriously, you're talking for a lot of mothers here. The reason for absences, I think, is for exactly this kind of knowledge.

Kerry O'Connor said...

That is a precious sight! They look eager to get back to the stimulation of the classroom environment.

Brian Miller said...

haha hope the school year goes well for them....and i remember last year it was so quiet after they left....now i am right in the thick of it...smiles....

21 Wits said...

Well they certainly look ready and eager to take on the world !

Grace said...

Classes here start next week. I am all for the quiet but I do miss the children's voices when they are not around ~

Nice one ~

steveroni said...

Enjoy the way you take us through the gamut of your thinking, in just about the time it took you to THINK it. Dreaming of ideal, then realizing it is not all that good.

Seems like every traveler--no matter how much the happy times--eventually cannot WAIT to return home.

E.T. Go Home!
PEACE, Laurie-girl.

flipside records said...

Amen to that! This was such a great idea, Laurie. :)

I had a feeling your last line was going to say something like that.

I like the happy hour reference ... and isn't it funny how the most precious thing on earth (hugs from your kids) can be annoying at times? It's so sad, and I feel awful. But it's true.

Thanks for writing, girl.

PattiKen said...

Before I got to the last line, I was thinking "be careful what you wish for..." but I see you discovered that. Enjoy them while you can, because they'll be gone too soon.

ds said...

"No squished raisins in the couch cushions" :-)
Hope they have a wonderful year in school and out--and you also.

Serena said...

I loved this... I so know the feeling. Your children are beautiful. I remember feeling this way, longing for the silence and then missing their sounds. It's true, it goes by so fast. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy these years while they're young and remember... it's okay to need silence once in awhile.
Such a sweet and lovely poem, well written and flowed so easily.

Laurie Kolp said...

Thanks everyone. They all had great first days (except my middle son was accidentally put in two PEs, but that can be fixed).I love hugs from my children no matter what. In the poem, that's when it began to shift.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Your photo took me right back to the First Day of School each year for my four kids. I'd line them up just like this. One year, as a single mom, I was darned proud of managing suits for the boys and a two piece outfit for Lisa featuring - yes - yellow and navy striped pants that I am STILL hearing about. Morning photo: kids all beaming and mama proud. After school: Jon: I'm NEVER going to wear a suit to school AGAIN. Lisa said the kids called her Bumblebee for the rest of the school year.

Well, I tried. Hee hee.

Unknown said...

That was too cute!

Ella said...

I loved what you wrote and I had the same kind of day! I have dreamed and craved silence. I got a full dose of it today~ I was good for a couple of hours and then it felt odd! Love the photo of your children! My daughter was happy to go and came home wishing for summer break. Augh...
I missed mine~

Unknown said...

Ha been there done that... you can see the parents in the comments ;P

Hannah said...

Oh, Laurie!! You transitioned so smoothly from the negative to the positive...my heart goes out to you...my first baby is going to kindergarten...full days :/ starting on Tuesday. Riding the bus and everything...it's going to be rough for me to trust strangers with him...to keep him safe all day. Sorry, I guess I'm venting a lil'. Ugh.

Unknown said...

Laurie, you captured that annual"back to school" time so well! Such great smiles on those faces--best to all!

Amrit Sinha said...

Well written :-)

Janet Martin said...

Perfect:)!

flipside records said...

Hope you're enjoying the silence a bit more today. :)

Maude Lynn said...

I'm right there with you!

Teresa said...

With my son grown up, back to school means back to work for me. I'm missing my free days of spending time with the animals. You've really done a great job of capturing all those complex emotions.

Sarav said...

Laurie, you made me laugh out loud with the "raisins squished in the couch" line--perfect! We always have that push and pull--love to have them there and then need them to give us space :-) Well done!

Jinksy said...

So the dream remains a dream... :)

Herotomost said...

Those are some fine looking children. Its amazing how our heads can actually grasp both sides of that coin so quickly and say yeah....its nice to be alone, but I miss them. Enjoy your time anyway....and love them twice as much when they get home all cranky, in love, tired, or hungry. Great job.

Donald E. Allen said...

Very well done. How often we find that it is the noise that gives our lives rhythm?

Victoria said...

I suspected the ending would be like it is! :0> Fun poem. Beautiful children.