welcome home

arriving back at school
i noticed the new hair colours, the rings and tatoos
and the little ways that people now moved
contrary to their old habits.
when i had been home
everyone had been
the same and different
in the same instant,
gulping down the swirling colours of the moment
and counting the minutes until they could
escape.
welcome home everyone,
and welcome to your new changes,
the good and the bad
that will shape our year, our minds and our hearts.