Like children with toy sailboats,
we launch students into the water.
Carried by the current,
most disappear from view,
their fates obscure.
A few return nostalgically
to find their places taken by
younger, unknown faces;
their teachers preoccupied
with tests, papers, lessons to prepare.
We see their surprise
as they realize that nothing has changed,
but everything has changed.
Happy, or sad, or both
with their visit to the past,
they launch back into the waters
to continue their journey to
an uncharted future.
—24 Feb 2025