Last day.

Big smiles, warm hugs

Laughing, refusing to cry.

The outgoing one

The funny one

The athletic one

The identity that doesn’t need an introduction.

No one told me

This had to be boxed up too

I thought it’d follow me

Like a trained pet

Or natural instinct.

 

Moving day.

Everything was packed

Except a possession

More important than all.

All the boxes were sealed.

What else could have

Been brought along?

 

First day.

Looking down, avoiding eye contact

Quiet responses, trying not to cry

Feeling unprepared.

Double, triple, quadruple checking

my bag.

Everything appeared present

But where was my shadow?

That cloud of my identity.

Did it not come along?

 

Today.

Waving to friends, meeting new ones everyday

Making plans, trying new things.

The determined one

The resilient one

The leadership one

That first identity is still on the loose

Stuck in the last day

Holding back tears

Which watered the one

I have been growing to this day.

The one that belongs with me

That I have the ability

To fearlessly express.

My new shadow

A trained pet

A natural instinct.