Those were the best days of my life...

Its very memory triggers a whirlpool of emotions,

With a quiet lingering smile evoking tingling sensations.

They escort me back to the years now half-remembered, 

When Friendship itself was a religion to be revered.

Life meant only school, and school meant friends alone,

When outdoors stood for running little errands for our home.

When school was for mischief : harmless and juvenile,

Where like-minded chaps were befriended with a smile.

The backbenches livened up with our muffled giggles,

And the recess saw us devouring each other's tiffins.

'Twas a place where secrets were sealed by a swear of faith,

'Twas a time when there wasn't any room for jealousy or hate.

A friend's win was our win, a friend's foe was ours too,

It was a time of high-fives, of sharing life in a classroom.

But then time flew past, we grew up... alas!

Simplicity took the back burner, remained sulking in a corner.

Responsibility became our priority,

Serious became our demeanour, 

With no space for frivolity,

Innocence was lost for ever.

Those little laughs were smothered,
Swept back in a chest without a key,

With experience the child got murdered,
In the healthy view of diplomacy.

Yet in lonesome hours,
Through a mistaken glance,
When I come by some children holding hands,
I wonder to myself where my friendship now stands...

The euphoric sight of ceaseless laughter and delight,
The satchel-laden boys' entering a mock fight...
Fills me with questions,
Fills me with pain.
For I realize all that I have sacrificed,
The friendship's lost in the bargain.

Today the ice cream cones have run dry,

There's no one to push our swings high.
The slides are dusty and moss covered,
The familiar voices are long forgotten, and muted.

There is no one to share a stupid laugh with,

We are 'grown-ups', and we have got to live like it.

While we ping or poke to revive the estranged chords,

A day like today gets us lost in sepia-hued thoughts

Of the moments we shared, of our spontaneity and fun,

Those were the best days of  my life!..that'll never return...

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda