The center of the community in its day
generations gracing its halls
all learning
acting
playing.
Memories from each generation stay
like old photos on the walls
of sports
plays
classes.
The community meets one last time this day
before the swing of the ball
to relive
commiserate
cry.
Saying goodbye can be so hard.
Places hold memories deep in their souls- the echoes of long forgotten voices, the click of heels from the teachers, the subtle rustle of paper all bringing to mind the place where so many grew up- hard indeed! Beautiful memories
You said that so beautifully. Thank you.
This made me feel sad as I read and knew the inevitable was coming. Old schools are somewhat of a wonder to me. There was an old school that was demolished when I was quite little. I’ve come across photos of it and it looked beautiful. Hardwood floors, wooden banisters, large windows, old iron desks. The schools of the past hold a beauty that cannot be compared to modern schools.
I couldn’t agree more. They have such character.
Poignant post.
I’ve lost a school I attended asa kid and another I taught in andboth were lovely places too soon gone.
I did some undergraduate work and student teaching in that building. I have wonderful memories.
I can only imagine how hard it is for someone who grew up within those walls, read their first books, made their first friends, got their first grades, and loved their first teachers to realize it will exist no more. Thinking that ‘time capsule’ of their childhood is being destroyed must tear down a little piece of them, too. This one got to me. Beautiful poem.
You can feel the emotion in the community. It is so sad.
What a moment. I can’t imagine how sad it would be to watch a school reduced to dust.
My grade school is no longer standing. It’s long gone, actually. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But I’m happy to not have witnessed its demolition.
Beautifully captured, Tracy.
Thank you, Daven. The building was beyond repair, so its demolition was inevitable. That doesn’t make it any easier, though. It’s a sad day for the entire community.