Morning Verse

Inside Randolf, plaid-clad girls swirled. They ran every which way, hugging, squealing, nearly knocking Veronica over in their excitement. Veronica knew she would feel out of place. But the happy clamor of reuniting friends was worse than she had imagined. Meanwhile Sylvie had disappeared, as though she had better things to do than be attached to Veronica Louise Morgan. Veronica was surrounded by people who must have known she was new. But none of them showed any interest in anything about her. Why would they? Everyone knew new kids had to pay their dues.

Everyone, that is, except Marion and Marvin Morgan. All summer they had told their nervous daughter that the whole of Randolf would be excited to meet her. The stupidity of people over thirty was frightening. Apparently intelligence was removed when you got older. There could be no other explanation. All Veronica could hope for was that when it happened to her, it wouldn’t hurt. She rubbed her finger against her skirt, trying to remember why she had wanted to change schools in the first place. What a mistake.

Veronica’s old school had a mission, which was to prepare its students for the statewide proficiency tests. Randolf’s mission was very different. It wanted to build a student’s reverence for the world she lived in through an appreciation of spirit, science, and art. Randolf believed humanity existed inside the soul and outside in the world. Mrs. Morgan thought that this was wonderful. Mr. Morgan didn’t know what they were talking about. And Veronica stood somewhere in the middle.

The school occupied an old mansion designed by the same man who designed Grand Central Terminal. Veronica looked at the vaulted ceiling. She half expected to find the answers to all of life’s questions etched there like stars in the heavens. Wouldn’t that be nice? She felt a kind of reverence looking up at the gorgeous ceiling, so maybe the school’s philosophy was already taking root.

A bell rang and everyone headed up the long and gently curved staircase. Veronica let herself get swept along with the crowd. The stairs were made of marble and Veronica couldn’t help imagining girls floating up and down, wearing ball gowns instead of school uniforms. She spotted Sylvie up ahead and tried to keep her in focus. She would know where the sixth-grade classroom was and Veronica was in no condition to ask anyone anything. Not that she would have been able to get anyone’s attention anyway. A clutch of girls chattered behind her. They were so close she could almost feel their breath on her neck.

“Are you going to Sarah-Lisa’s party on Friday night?” one girl said.

“Of course!” said another. Veronica wanted to turn around and see who was talking. But she didn’t dare. There were already parties she wasn’t invited to. Just like her parents had said. Everyone was dying to meet her.

*   *   *

The walls of her new classroom were the color of egg yolk and three big windows let in lots of thick bright sunlight. Her old classroom was a pale green. She realized now, in retrospect, that the green made everyone look slightly sick. Yellow is a much happier color, Veronica decided. She could see the tops of the trees through the windows. Being in her new classroom felt a bit like being inside a tree house.

Her teacher, Ms. Padgett, stood in front of the class and the way the sun reflected off her blond hair made her look like she had a halo.

“Veronica?” she asked warmly. “Please, come and join us.” Her voice sounded like wind chimes. Ms. Padgett walked Veronica to a chair next to Sylvie, who was sitting at a table for four. But unlike the shared tables at Veronica’s old school, this one was round. Neither she nor Sylvie seemed happy to be reunited.

“Girls,” Ms. Padgett said, addressing the class. “Let’s welcome Veronica. Try to remember what you felt like your first day and be kind.” Veronica really wished Ms. Padgett hadn’t just said that because now every pair of eyes in the room was looking at her and her ill-fitting uniform. The cardigan twins took seats at the same table where she and Sylvie sat. Veronica observed that their hair, though different colors, was cut to match.

“Veronica,” Ms. Padgett continued, “this is Athena, Sarah-Lisa, and this is Sylvie. Girls, this is Veronica.”

Athena and Sarah-Lisa flashed white, straight-toothed smiles and Sylvie barely moved her head as she said, “Yes, we met.”

“Veronica,” Ms. Padgett said, “follow along as best you can and in a few days you will feel like you have been with us forever. Right in front of you, please look at your copy of Morning Verse.”

All at once, the class rose.

In unison the girls recited:

I look upon the universe so tall,

The sun warms my heart and the moon guides my soul.

The stars above sparkle and the earth below informs my feet.

The beast and the pebble, the rain and the dawn,

Side by side.

Harmony to all things, great and small.

Veronica didn’t say the words out loud. She wasn’t even sure she understood them, but they transported her nevertheless to a world of magic and kindness where dragonflies floated beside colorful butterflies, rocks offered sage advice, and fluffy-tailed squirrels helped mice crack open acorns. It was a world of complete acceptance.

It was her favorite moment of the day.