Erin Snedeker
5.28.2019: Or Two Days and Counting

The citrusy yellow tang
Dances through the air
Teasing, playful
Cartwheeling across desks,
Sat askew in classrooms next
To the last dregs of homework,
Backpacks with broken zippers
And frayed straps.
Students gnash their teeth at the
First taste of Summer.
Teachers count the minutes
To the end of the class, the day, the week
A young woman curls her hair with shaking fingers
Going to an interview for a job
She feels too small to fill.
She goes anyway, and grows to fill it
A boy sits at home,
Frustrated that he missed the bus,
Knowing that he only has two more days
Before summer begins
Two more days of being this person,
The young woman, a caretaker,
The boy, a little kid,
Safe in the roles they
Know how to play
The next days will bring change
On the hot yellow wind that
Pushes humidity’s breath across
Flat wetlands, and warm salty waves
“Two days and counting,”
All the clocks taunt.
And the mouths water
Of students and teachers alike.
In the evening, a ceremony
With gold embossed certificates
And printed calligraphy.
Toss your caps in the air!
And on the lips of parents
And children, Sweet
Orange, Sour Lemon
Tease the promise of Summer
“Two days and counting,”
And the clocks march march
March along unendingly.
“Two days and counting.”
Heat and thunder herald
Summer’s approach,
With her farewells, and change
And her lavish adventure
The young woman and the boy
Sit next to each other at the ceremony,
Nervously, eagerly awaiting
The principal to call his name
They travel together
Across the stage,
She on jelly legs and
He tucked into his wheelchair
They have gotten used
To travelling together.
And the ever looming farewell
Makes their steps uncertain
"Two days and counting,"
The clocks chime
Merrily, like sunshine
Bright and yellow and warm
Finally, across the stage
The boy and the young woman
Return to their seats
Two more days