Is an Empty School Building Still a School?

(It is to those who went there)

On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 

On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 01The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
 

In the hush of the golden afternoon,

Where laughter once echoed and joy loomed,

I wandered by a school now closed,

Its corridors empty, starkly composed.

Upon the first school day, when anticipation soared,

When eager minds set forth to explore,

I stood there, lost in a world now still,

And pondered a question, a void to fulfill.

"Is a school without children still a school?"

I asked in whispers, my heart was the tool,

And from the depths of absence I heard a reply,

A voice of memories, echoing from on high.

"It is to those who went there," it said,

Those who roamed the halls, their dreams widespread,

For a school is more than bricks and walls,

It's the spirit of learning that truly enthralls.

In those empty classrooms, lessons still reside,

Where teachers imparted wisdom, hopes implied,

The echoes of laughter, friendships made,

Imprinted on these walls, they'll never fade.

A school without children is still alive,

In the tender reminiscence that forever thrives,

For within its heart, a legacy remains,

Of the souls nurtured, their dreams unchained.

Though empty it may seem, on this solemn day,

The spirit of education will never stray,

A beacon of knowledge, even when hushed,

A school without children, forever beloved.

So I wander away, with a newfound grace,

Honoring the essence of this sacred space,

A school without children, yet still standing tall,

A testament to the memories, one and all.

On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 01The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 02The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 03The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island On the Steps of Wickford Elementary School 04The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island Wickford Elementary School 01The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island Wickford Elementary School 02The old Wickford Elementary School (now closed) on a first day of school, North Kingstown, Rhode Island

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