School Drop-offs - June 19, 2025

like bees returning to the hive

cars swarm Cahuilla Elementary

and with the clunk of closing car

doors, parents and children emerge

in tight hand holds

that unclasp at the gate

as I walk by, this 7:45am scene

a memory of walking to school

alone, or with a brother or friend

we’d kick stones or leaves

banter, or ponder our lives

curiosity ran far and feral

but these kids today, trapped

in safety from a dangerous society

are rarely free of mom and dad

to wander the world outside on

their own and discover the doors

that open to the much more mysterious

and life-changing universe

inside