the journey backwards

today after years of looking ahead
I took a step back

The step I took was big
I was heading to the same old track

I stood across the dusty path and felt the last decade rushing by
I scraped and clawed but couldn'
t hold on to the time flying by

I took the bold step forward as a shudder ran through my body
I saw asking myself is it still the same, maybe, could be, will be?

I reached the rusty gate and found chains that bar me from entering
but not a soul was in sight and I was close to surrendering

But fate had other plans, he wanted me to be young again
He wanted that I should prance around, feel 16, in that hot aftenoon dusty lane

I pushed open the gates and instantly stepped into the year 2005
it was raining heavily at 7 in the morning and I was going to crash into princi who had just arrived

I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulders and I see my beloved standing by me
I am hurled back to my spot, the path lined with old silent trees

Every step I took inside I heard memories screaming out to me with joy
welcoming me back with open arms and I am bewildered - boy oh boy!

As I keep moving inside, jolting in and out of what is now - what was then
I notice a small path which led to a new unknown space and I ask myself - it was created when?

I rack my brain over a small path, an unknow destination
Could this be true, has my memory altered and have my recollections faltered

I take it to reach the old familiar territory,
a smile spreads across my face
yes! I know this, I have been here, I have walked the same very patch
the smile stays as I explore my age old base

To new eyes, this is a relic
the paint is peeling off, the doors are creaking
the uncomfortable furniture, the roofs are leaking

To the old guards, its an untouched dreamland
Untouched because, etched in our mind is a fool's paradise
A kingdom of dreams, promises and desires

The broken and soon mended hearts, the rush of exams
the crippled rules, the muddy shoes
the onset of monsoons and the hated chemsitry lab
dancing around and winning debates with your gift of gab
the first day in this school and making a friend for life
making unsaid promises, which you have kept even in times of strife

As I made my exit, I feel contended
I may/ may not have made the best of the opportunities, I did make the best of memories
The next I feel sorry for myself or feel demented
I will make a trip down the very same lane,
thinking to myself
what a wonderful world!