September

sense memories thick and
fast, the jam spilling
from the jar, the
sweet-sick odor of floor
wax in the auditorium,
the clean smell of wood shavings from
freshly sharpened pencils,
the inky essence of
purple-wet worksheets,
the air of sour milk
in the cafeteria

push pins and printed
notices, edicts for our
edification, the sheen
of notebooks new without
a blot, a jot of writing in them

September, new and old,
upon us once again, the
quilts of dried leaves, red,
gold, brown, cover the
grounds, whispering to us
as we walk