Blonde ringlets frame her heart-shaped face,

shining hair pulled off her face with a pink bow.

Her bright blue eyes are filled with laughter,

big smile swelling her cheeks.

 

His blonde hair cut close with a fringe

above his proud blue eyes. He is bent slightly

at the knee to reach her little shoulders and

wrap his arm around them in loving protection.

 

The preschoolers barely outsize their backpacks

on this first day of school. They are overjoyed

to carry their awkward bundles filled with

new school supplies.

 

They are ready to learn, to play, to make

new friends. They are ready to take their first

steps out of babyhood, their first steps

out into the world.

 

Letting them go tugs at my heartstrings

like an instrument out of tune. I want to freeze

this moment, this image in time,

forever.