AT THE SCHOOL GATE

A leafy suburban avenue
Nice and quiet as a rule
But this peaceful avenue
Leads to a junior school
Alone or in twos and threes
They begin to arrive
Up the road in time
For home time at three oh five
In variety they gather
Mostly mums or minders
Aunts or siblings
And dads in growing numbers
Some arrive on foot
But mostly they have a ride
Some plod wearily
While others proudly stride
An illegally parked parent
Falls foul of the law
And the language matches
From the driver’s door
The throng of adults
Arranged about the gate
Gossip and chat idly
While they stand and wait
The door bursts open
And boisterous kids spill out
Some crane neck to see
While others give a shout
Some appear dishevelled
And others prim and neat
Untucked clothes
And laces flap about their feet
Some run to the gate
Others trudging and lagging
With coats or bags following
Behind them dragging
The children drawn like moths
Towards the light
Amidst the heaving throng
The families reunite
Occasionally one’s dispatched
At a parent’s behest
To retrieve forgotten items,
A lunch box or a vest
Not all the children leave
At home time though
Some stay an hour or two
Before its time to go
Working parents
Unable to find someone to sub
Need to send their children
To after school club
In minutes the disgorging mass
Drifts from the gate
The crowd dispersing
As a stream of cars evacuate
It came like a tornado
Who’s sound assaults the ear
Then once more returned
To peaceful leafy suburbia