Little Friends
Little Friends
My alarm screeches out a warning of the coming five o’clock morning
My head is cloudy and my thoughts are foggy
I shut my eyes tighter to ignore the screams of the alarm and almost drift back to sleep
Until my little friends pop into my head
I groan and roll to the floor
I grab my sweats and jacket shivering at the cold
I walk out my front door my breath making clouds in the inky black sky
I stretch and start my run
I sprint through the streets and windy roads, I come to a hill and begin to slow
Until my little friends pop into my mind
I sweat despite the frost in the air as I climb the treacherous hill
I reach the top and with a huff start back home, to shower and get ready for school
I plop into my seat of my first period class, hair still wet from the rushed bath
The teacher drones on speaking of Shakespeare and Hamlet
My eyes droop in response to the colorless statements
I begin to slip into blissful sleep
Until my little friends pop into my head
I jerk upwards and sit up straight
Even though I’d rather slouch and sleep
The bell mercifully rings and I rush out the doors
A smile warms my heart as the cold air assaults my face
Because finally I can see my little friends
I hop into my truck and speed through the roads
I pull to a stop in front of the park
With a skip in my walk my cleats click the ground
I can hear them now as my feet hit the dirt
There they are my little friends
All wrapped up in warm clothes with bats and softballs clutched in their hands
My students, my friends
Awaiting my tutelage
Jacie, Chloe, Mo, and 32 more
Ranging from eight to twelve years old
Every day I rise before the sun and every day I rise for them
32 little girls who depend on me for knowledge and strength
Little do they know I depend on them to wake me up every day.