First day of school: poem analysis and personal reflection

In the poem, we follow a young boy, at his first day of school, and the thoughts running through his mind. The boy feels, he is a “millionbillionwillion” miles from home, and that’s far away. He feels like the other children are much bigger than him, and that they belong and he doesn’t. It is very clear that he is scared and nervous. He fears that the railings are made to keep monster out, or the children in, because he does not know why the railing are there, so he creates monsters in his mind.

The boy does not know a lot about school. He knows that there is a teacher, but he does not know what a teacher is. He plays with the word, and come to the conclusion, that the teacher makes tea. He plays with the words he is given, and come up with ideas, that make sense to him. It is clear in the text, that it is a child we are following, or a childish mind.

Like other children, he needs his parents. He wants his mother, to come and help him remember his name. I think it is a symbol of a need to remember himself, now when he is at a new and unknown place. He needs something he knows to be there with him, to give him the strange to be there, like willies when there is puddles.