goodbye to a fun-filled summer vacation,
hello to the hustle and bustle of school days jam-packed with learning.
goodbye to Maddie once more,
hello to her junior year at college.
goodbye to the ARC ten miler race,
hello to Hershey 1/2 marathon training.
goodbye to our family vacation by the lake,
hello to a beach get-a-way for just the two of us.
goodbye to the fireflies lighting up the night sky,
hello to the cicadas singing in the trees above.
goodbye to summer reading of nine ten, riding freedom, and booked,
hello to the thing about jellyfish, moo, and because of winn-dixie.
goodbye to you again as i start the school year without you here,
hello to the memories we shared and your words that echo in my ears.
goodbye to the sizzling days of the august summer,
hello to the crisp days of september and fall.
Slice of Life
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Join in and share a slice of your life!
Runner, Reader, & Rockin' Mom 
Happy New Year! I love the form of this…goodbye, hello! It’s so beautiful! Thank you!
Thanks, Michelle! It was fun to write once I got in the rhythm.
Once again, Amy, you come through with the perfect slice structure. I hope you don’t mind if I borrow this one! Wishing you a wonderful school year!!
Thanks, Molly! I always appreciate your kind and encouraging comments. I’ve been thinking about you and your 4th grade students. Please share away and enjoy your new year too!
I had this vision of you (me) dancing back and forth on our feet. Summer. School. Summer. School. It’s one rhythm replacing another.
Kevin
Thanks, Kevin! That’s the musician in you.
Such a beautiful poem, Amy! I love that the ‘hello’ comes after the ‘goodbye.’ It makes me feel hopeful. I hope you have a great start to your year!
Thank, Jennifer. You too!
I love the structure of your poem. There is always so much to say goodbye to at the end of but so much to look forward to as well. Good luck with the year and the half marathon, too!
Ahhh, yes, the 1/2 marathon. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks, Lisa!
I also like the form of this piece – hello and goodby. I always feel as thought the true start of the new year is September 1st. This piece is an thoughtful interpretation of that idea.
Thanks, Bernadette. I had a fun time writing it since the beginning of September came about so quickly!
I agree with everyone else: you chose a great form for your poem. Very thoughtful. Will you have your students do something similar? Have a great first day!
Thanks, Adrienne! I mainly teach reading and rarely have the opportunity to dabble in reflective writing so I probably won’t have my students do something similar. It’s a bummer.
Hershey Half? Hold up a second! Are we neighbors?
It’s a small world! I’m in York so I’m a hop, skip, and a jump from Hershey.
Very cool! I didn’t realize you were this close to me.
I enjoyed your hello/goodbye post today. I have found that this format, and others like it, work really well for me when I have a lot of thoughts and feelings to share like you did today. It’s gentle, it’s easy, it’s expansive as are your thoughts today.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Barbara! Glad you stopped by for a visit.
What a great format. I like that the good-byes are happy memories and the hellos are exciting things to look forward to. Enjoy.
I love the format and the positivity of your poem, Amy – happy first day!!!
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Love this goodbye, hello format. I used to have my students write a paragraph to kiss summer goodbye and then, one to embrace festive fall. This is even better. I’ll be sharing it with some teacher friends. My favorite? Those fireflies lighting up the night sky.