It started out huge
picking my tiny daughter up for school on the first
of many many too many days

She would hop on
sometimes begrudgingly
hopping off always joyfully

But as she has grown
that bus has begun to shrink
and become ever so small

That bus seemed plenty big enough
for her and her giant backpack
her crayons and papers

It seemed to be just right as she
continued to board with her novels
and friends

It seems too small now
Too small to hold her and all of her
dreams and ambitions

I no longer see her on that bus
but walking through some bucolic campus
sitting under shade trees sketching

Or stepping off of a busy curb
over puddles and around cars
on her way to a gallery or show

Yes, that bus has been shrinking
and I can't stop it
but I can marvel at how it has changed