Prologue

This is the conception
of a new address
the settling in
to wide blank rooms
finding places
for books and plates
beds and a piano
the start of a story
in this rowhouse
on this street
in this silver city.

This is the seed
of a fresh school year
the desks huddling together
waiting
ready to awaken life
again
the shelves organized
the closets heavy
with markers and gluesticks
notebooks and crayons
yellow pads of paper
scribbled with ideas
for the first day
the second day
the days and days
to follow
of unwritten prose.

This is the beginning
crisp and new
the whole world
a possibility.