Back to school

The new term starts tomorrow,

the children go back to school
a different kind of peaceful
will warp the day, almost semi-sorrow.

 

While they were home, they woke up late,

ate at odd times, played with screens
kept hours that wouldn’t be allowed in
your days, but you didn’t remonstrate.

 

Two weeks of merry upheaval -

young voices in the living room,
weird music played at a hiked volume
you can barely call civil;

 

thank god, the neighbours can’t complain

because their children, home as well
make enough noise of their own, cancel
out yours, but it’s still hard to entertain

 

sudden demands for junk food,

cola, rides to places, movies, malls;
your day’s routine scrambled by it all,
your days of ordered solitude

 

now they’ll lie blankly tranquil,

with precise routines of nothingness
tomorrow a sterile silence, less
noise, politely low music, time to kill;

 

leisurely prepared and sipped coffees,

unbroken quiet hours to yourself
minus all turmoil, but you can’t help
wonder if it really makes for peace.



Shared at Poetics@dVerse where the prompt today is "peace".