It was the first of September,

Humid and sultry as late August,

Cool and airy as early October,

As the sun emerged from the distant mountains,

As dewdropps vaporized from the grassy earth,

As cocks crowing from the neighbor chains,

As boys at her age pack for school without rehearse.

It was the first day of school after a long summer,

Roads swarming with starving hunters

enjoying their time barbecuing and drinking on the county road corners,

As she rode across the streets,

As her brother craved cough syrup that wouldn’t make his chronic pneumonia any better,

As her eyes hunted for the drugstore where the cough syrup was sold cheaper,

As her gaze landed on a bunch of children reciting poems and language she could never understand, ever.

It was the first school built in the county,

Solemn and silent when the morning mist still tasted sweetly,

Amiable and captivating as conversations in class began,

As the bell rung for reunion and recess,

As children ran back to classrooms from chess,

As hissing sounds from pencils rubbed against sheets of paper,

As she waited for the anxiously at the counter for the chemist to deliver.

It was the first rejection from her parents,

Quick and determined with no hesitation,

Questionings and begging afterward but ending with refusion,

As her brother went out with backpacks that day,

As he told her he would become a first grader,

As if she was omitted from the list of relay,

As insomnia and rage accompanied her dismay.

It was her first year without school,

The same first September with crowded students at 6 AM,

Only she wasn’t with the crowd but sitting with needle and wool,

As thick wools being threaded through holes on the triangular button,

As a stranger appeared in front of her house,

As she ran to lock the door as always,

As the person outside offered a spot at school made her a rouse.

It was the first joyous day in her life,

It happened without warning like a pocketknife,

A few rounds of inquiry made her qualified for this school,

As she told her parents about everything,

As their faces turned from neglect to perplex,

As they finally realized no tuition was required,

As they laughed and cried with joy to their hearts’ desire.

It will be the first of September,

Humid and sultry as late August,

Cool and airy as early October,

As the sun emerges from the distant mountains,

As dewdropps vaporize from the grassy earth,

As cocks crow from the neighbor chains,

As a delicate blossom sprouts from piles of foliage.