The year of lasts.

Senior year.

Everyone experiences the bittersweet sense

in completing their final season in high school.

The last time stepping out onto the dewy field

or onto the polished wooden court with shoes squeaking beneath you.

The euphoric feeling

could pound into your heart

at the end of a good practice,

when you have the gut feeling that it will be your last.

Serotonin will strike

while you wait for the curtain to rise on the stage

before the final show.

A few hours later, your sight is on the audience –

pondering the next time you may be in this very room –

watching from the seats.

You may cry

as you realize your fellow

teammates,

bandmates,

and costars

will part ways –

some may never be in each other’s presence again.

The last time

having a teacher

whose class you have been in since freshman year.

The final day

 moseying into the school as a student for graduation,

and striding out an alum.

Songs about leaving home –

and people you have grown up around –

seem more woeful

than ever before.

Senior year.

The year of lasts.