The End

...And summer's lease hath all too short a date...
-William Shakespeare

Yes, yes, it's true that I'll no longer be under constant siege by four-foot-tall humans. Lunch will be easier, there will be fewer carseats to buckle, I'll have a moment to breathe.

Still, the night before school starts is always melancholy for me. I'm filled with sorrow bordering on despair, contemplating how short the summer was. Summer is when childhood happens. During the long summer days as those little bodies bronze and freckle, their minds are turned loose to wander wherever they may. Tonight there was a summer storm, and a rainbow. In the technicolor light of dusk, the kids worked together in the gutter to build a dam out of sticks and mud. It was their last collaboration before they go to their separate classrooms, even separate schools tomorrow.

I know, I know, the routine will be good. I'll be able to get my mind back on its feet, I'll have time to finish my jobs. The kids are excited about their imminent adventures.

But the thought of the pool water sitting so still under the August sun, bereft of splashes and squeals...it doesn't seem right. As always, I go reluctantly into Fall, looking back regretfully at the green mountains, drinking in the clear blue sky and straining to hear the last cricket's song.