Cereal is too soggy Sun is too hot Clothes are too big And the bus is too crowded

Before it has even begun I feel the dread of the day building in my gut And souring my mouth with fear

Everything is too new Shoes are too stiff Backpack is too heavy Faces are too eager

This place Where my impression has yet to leave its mark Feels foreign An alien world with strange bodies

Mouths are too wide Words are too fast Eyes are too beady Hands are too touchy

I am unable to keep up with the tumbling of language from their lips That press and pry under my skin

“What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” “Who’s your first period teacher?”

Their questions are a trickle of too cold water Splashing beneath my collar and spilling down my back

The itchy embarrassment of singularity slithers across my skin And though it has barely been two hours All I want is to slip under my covers And let the day finally be over.

It’s summer now The worst season in my book It’s way too hot At the sun I can’t look

But all will end When three months pass When it’s finally September I hope it’ll go by fast

But as I return, Not all is as divine For my friend is leaving I try not to cry

She won’t be here To comfort me with care To knock sense into me So at my crush I don’t glare

I still look forward to school For geography awaits There are essays to be written By astonishing dates

Algebra is to be solved And books are to be read Long lunches are a staple Vending machines are ahead

But the best part Of returning to school Is seeing my friends Who are oh so very cool

One is a great hugger One is really sweet One is super awesome They’re all really neat

So returning to school Is an exciting time Also a reminder Of the loss of a friend of mine

Breakfast will be served Alongside all my textbooks Done with work by noon

I am excited, Now I’m not. I feel enlightened, Now I’m sure I’m not.

What is this feeling? Is it dread? I’m not quite sure, So I go to bed.

I wake up from a dream, About my next adventure. Changing school, Like changing wheels on a tractor.

This feeling is weird, Uncomfortable-if you will. I see a man with a beard, Taking my bill.

I’m only eleven, So have me mercy. I’m starting year seven, I’m slightly thirsty.

These thoughts make my mouth dry, I’m from London. I want to cry, This city is strange not fun.

They said my life would be easy, Because I’m smart. They said life would be breezy, But I’m fascinated by Egyptian art.

Will they teach me hieroglyphics? I hope they do. I don’t fancy physics. I wonder about them too.

🤍

High school’s starting weird. Herding us around, explaining lunch waves That don’t make sense yet. Why are they called waves? But that’s not why it’s weird.

We take a concussion test on a computer “Just in case,” they say, “We need data to compare with if you blow your head away.” Why is the computer lab The only air conditioned room? But that’s not why it’s weird.

My Spanish teacher says to call her “Miss” But last night I used her first name When we all had dinner at her house. My English teacher directed the play I starred in, in third grade, Now she’s asking for my essay Five pages long, on The Odyssey.

Down the hall, a teacher sits She drives me to school when mom is sick And her kids would babysit me all the time So maybe that’s why it’s weird.

At the end of the day, I wait In an empty classroom Until my mother walks in with her school bag She asks how it was
And I tell her some older girls who I never met Asked me in the hallway “Are you my teacher’s daughter?” And I’ll admit, that was weird.

Based on a true story

Oh how I loathe to wake up daily, before 6am To wash and brush and feed myself and leave my nice warm bed.

Oh how it fills me with distaste To hear the shrieking morning bell and go to class with haste.

Oh how I so badly want to cry When every teacher asks us “Why?”

Oh how I nearly fall asleep From hours of extra work each week.

Oh my mental health has never been worse Because, of course, school comes first.

Oh how the apple on the desk rots As a kid with a gun starts firing shots.

She walks down the halls with her eyes downcast to afraid to look up. She doesn't know what to think, her mother said that going to school would be good for her but she wasn't so sure. She was always a nervous child which was not helped by the fact that she has always been homeschooled and never really had human contact except for a few friends. Today was her first day of school and she was absolutely terrified. She was starting her first day of Sixth grade. She had been told that Sixth grade was not a desirable grade to start in but her mother insisted she go. She walked into class and immediately felt everyone looking at her. Her teacher turned to her, "Your name?" She said. "B-B-Bella." "Lovely name Dear." She said. "My name is Ms. Carmac." "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself." "Well, I l-l-like m-m-music and d-drawing." The kids started to laugh. Bella's hands started to shake. "That's enough class." Ms. Carmac said. "Take a seat." She said to Bella. Bella took the seat all the way to the back of the class. For the rest of the class, she stayed quiet and took notes. When lunch came she sat at a table by herself. No-one came to sit by her all of the children remembering her terrible stuttering. The rest of the day went in similar fashion. Each teacher would ask her name and to tell them a little about herself. Each time she would stutter her way through her answers. Each time the kids would all point and laugh. Bella was tired and ready to cry. She didn't like school. No one would talk to the girl who stuttered and didn't look up. Everyone looked at her and made rude comments while the teachers weren't looking and she just stood there. She hated school but there was nothing that she could do. When she got home she ran inside and cried. That was all she could really do, cry. And by the time she cried herself to sleep she only felt dred for the day to come.

People who read with a straight back are suspicious. So are those who like Titanic. That one time I asked to have some hand sanitizer from a lady, she said no, how fucking embarrassing is that. Would I look better with different hair? I’ve only been kissed once. What if I will never be happier than this, and I’m not even that happy right now? To earn a living from horses. iPad. Does anyone use pencils anymore?

Back in 1964 was my first day in school I was really shy really didn’t want to be there Mrs. Davis was my teacher she was not nice at all. She was really old and mean She had a nasty look she really talked Quite hateful to the students in her class

I did not want to be there The windows were all open So when she stepped out of the room I went out the window started running toward my home The principal caught up with me About four blocks away from school
He blocked me off with his car and took me back to school

That was the first day of school I got my back side busted He took a board and hit me twice I know that I was dancing After that I stayed at school That board had made a difference After that along the way I must of got five hundred more. I’m still here to talk about it. All these kids that go to school That do not know about discipline Have never had a whipping. It would help to bring the board back To punish the bad students.

I was bad I must admit but I took my punishment like a man The licks I took they never killed me They made me tough I learned respect I knew to respect my elders I learned so much from that first day I stayed at school and dared not leave Mrs Davis never did forgive me I really made her look bad So she always kept me in detention I really started my first day at school It was on the wrong foot I really learned a lesson that I remember till this day

                                Written By
                                 Freddie Lopez 
                                  04-05-2020

Oh how I longed for this day I believed it would have been more of an hooray Shopping for my last first day felt like so much fun But as of now I wish it was never done People may say “high school is the best years, make the most of it” But now that it is almost done I feel like I need more of it I’ve never thought of time in an orbit However living in it’s reality I have realized Those people were right Now that it is time to say goodbye; goodbye to that warm cozy feeling that night right before your first day I’ve never thought that I would be dreading the first last day.