Welcome, poets, to another Haibun Monday, where we blend prose and haiku together to form that famous Japanese poetic form! I am Frank Tassone, your host, and today, I’m taking us back to school!

It’s the penultimate day of August. Many schools have reopened, and many students return in-person for the first time since late last Autumn, if not since March of 2020. Many colleges have already welcomed their students back to campus; some have even begun classes. In the US, Labor Day weekend waits in the wings, where even more schools and colleges will begin the new academic year.

While we celebrate New Years every 1^st of January, many of us know that our year authentically begins with the inauguration of school. And why not? School centers the ordinary activity of families, particularly those with school-age children. Plus, for those that experienced…