Over the last month I have read 12 books, written three essays, and had very little time to do much of anything else. Few poems have been written, no stories at all. Why? I'm starting graduate school on Sunday. At 45. It's hard to believe I am going to be a student again. The last time I started college I was 18 years old and excited about silly things. Who would my roomies be? Would I make new friends? Would I meet cute boys? What would I major in? Now, about to begin college again at midlife, my main concern is: Where is the closest coffee shop? Will my three sons survive a week without me? 

I've been wanting to return to college for a long time. For 19 years I've been home raising my three sons. I'm glad I did that. You don't get a second chance at motherhood. If your kids don't turn out right then nothing else matters. Yes, I was also writing –poems and stories along the way. I now have a 19, 17, and 16 year old AND three published books. Yes, motherhood is still my priority, but it's time to do something else, something for me. So on Sunday I will load up my Honda with the 12 books I've read, my campus map and my iPhone, my coffee maker and supplies. I will hug my family good-bye and head to Charlotte to begin my MFA in Poetry at Queens University of Charlotte. Not thinking about roomies, not confused about what I will major in. Now I know. Finally I get to study poetry. And the only boys I will be thinking about will be the sons waiting for me at home.