the New Live Oak 

The school smells unusually strong 

Of chemicals and cleaning supplies

The lost and found exploding with 

jackets, beanies, and water bottles 

I look at the clock and sprint past the front desk

As if being late will result in a volcano

Erupting

I enter the classroom right as the clock

Strikes 8:30 and shove my backpack into the cubby 

Still doesn’t feel like mine even after all the years 

I’ve spent at Live Oak

This is not the live oak i used to know,

It’s the new live oak

The bright and colorful mural as you walk through the hallway 

The loud middle schoolers on the second floor

This is the New Live Oak.