graduation

the halls grow quieter each day
pages of notebooks thin with time
final bells echo softer than the first
the clock moves forward
but i feel still for a moment
caught between what was
and what waits
i leave behind desks marked with memories
laughter folded into corners of classrooms
names i may never speak again
but won’t forget
this is the end of a chapter
not the end of the story
just a turning of the page
the ink dries
i take a breath
and begin again