Go / No Go for Lunch

5th/6th grade lunch on the last day of school

Lunch is a time when we all come together
See friends, eat our fill, and talk of the day
A daily routine to which we’re all tethered
But one that now ends as we all go our way

Into Summer Vacation, that double-edged sword
Trips, summer teams, and time with family
You take one more step on your Life game board
And dive headlong into tranquility

Perhaps mindful that in only ten short weeks
You’ll return hopefully wiser, definitely older
With new shoes on your feet, maybe braces on your teeth
New uniform shorts and new backpacks on shoulder

So, today’s lunch is special, the last of the year
Several courses for which you don’t have to study
Goodbyes to some (please hold back the tear)
Maybe plans to hang out every day with your buddy

It’s an ending of sorts if you look at it that way
But more accurately it’s a beginning
This lunch is a launch; you’re blasting off today,
Into next year’s orbit you’re about to go spinning

The countdown’s been happ’ning for some time
The rumblings have been growing stronger
You’ve reached the summit of a year-long climb
And you can’t stay on the launch pad any longer

Goodbye, my friends, enjoy seventh grade space,
Hello, new trainees, arriving soon
Three, two, one…year done…with smiles upon your face
All systems go, reach high, Shoot for the Moon

© Jeff Wilson, 2009