“Last Day with the Panda”
for the SparkLab seniors

Today, two seniors carried the end
like it was just another Thursday.
But the panda knew.
He had made this trip before -
from trunk to lab, from laughter to legend -
and today, he rode backwards,
facing the past.

The green screen,
once the canvas of a thousand dreams,
folded in on itself,
a storybook closed
with lights dimmed
and corners tucked.

The LEDs blinked
like stars surrendering the dawn.
The “WELCOME” in Korean,
the finger hearts,
the ramen-slurping cat -
all soft ghosts now,
wrapped gently in resignation
and cords.

We didn’t say much.
We just worked,
like set dressers after the show,
undoing joy piece by piece,
pretending it didn’t sting.

And when it was done,
he buckled the panda
into the shotgun seat
gentle, careful,
like it was the most natural thing in the world
to make sure the joy rode home safe.

The air was heavy
with echoes of laughter,
with the bold, bright noise of becoming.

And though we packed it all away,
I saw it -
a flicker in their eyes,
a tenderness in the way
they steadied the panda,
picking him up gently
when he fell of the cart
shiny tears in my eyes
glowing in the elevator
trying to capture the moment like a 3d print.

They knew, too.
This wasn’t just cleanup.
It was goodbye
to something beautiful
we built together.