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Thank you God, for fresh starts
God bless this brand-new backpack,
filled as it is with survival gear for the
year to come.
Bless the pristine paper, the uncreased texts,
and the pencils whose erasers have yet to be
rubbed raw.
Bless the workbooks and the notebooks,
both the three-ring binder and the spiral
variety.
Bless the pencil case and protractor, the sharpener and the compass.
Bless the thermos and the sandwich bags
and the unbruised apple, gleaming and firm.
Bless all 84 crayons,
each with its own contribution to make.
Bless the hands that will use these tools and the minds
that will imagine how.
Bless the hearts that will guide our children—
and the ache in our own hearts as we watch them leave yet one year
more. |
