Colored Pencil Droplets by: Marissa Gaines, Archival Inkjet Print, 2019
Scoil Mhuire
Walking down a rain-soaked path,
Entering a large, weathered, blue door.
Warmth surrounds those who enter.
Hallways filled with the chatter
Of young girls attending classes.
400 people fill the building,
Which has stood for 400 years.
Winding staircases lead to dimly lit rooms,
Lit only by cheerful faces.
Happy to be there.
Four flights up, I’m home.
One window in the center of the room,
Water beaded on the surface.
The trickle of rain in the gutters,
And pounding of drops as they hit the ground.
Lessons begin, and a shift occurs,
No longer are the students smiling.
An older woman dressed in grey enters the room.
She carries the darkness and gloom the skies reflect.
Her voice drags on as we lose focus,
Whispers from those at the back.
One stern but low call,
Silences our laughter.
A single bell summons the flood
Of girls young and old to enter the streets.
I find myself once again,
Walking down a rain-soaked path.