Those sweet ol’ days of candies and crisps,
Those carefree days that we spent on swings,
Those lovely evenings of city visits,
Those harmless jokes and eternal fidgets,
Have gone perhaps forever,
Have gone, won’t return ever.

Those happy bed- time stories and songs,
Those teddy bears and dolls standing two feet tall,
Those red pens and green pens for useless notebook corrections,
Those dry, chalky hands and the teacher- like way of giving instructions.
Those Hide & Seek games, Ice & Water and Crocodile,
Those cute grins and real smiles,
Those ties, those heels, those cell-phones,
Those moments ‘cause we were a child, we moaned,
Have gone perhaps forever,
Have gone, won’t return ever.

Those scrapes, bruises and milk teeth falls,
Those hairbands, those jackets and cartoon overalls,
Those licences to act, silly, laugh, cry and even change in public,
Those performances not full of graceful steps but frolic.
Those ‘Shakkar- ka- Bora’* rides,
Those toy- train rides and dog- cat fights,
Those fevers, fractures and wails for parents,
Those wishes of staying at home due to fake ailments,
Have gone perhaps forever,
Have gone, won’t return ever.

Those screams and shouts in restaurants and hotels,
Those loud laughs and childish chortles,
Those moments of fear of elders,
Those days of wearing woollen caps, gloves and seven sweaters,
Those visits to temples, churches nad mosques,
Those moments when we felt the importance of God.
Those questions of death and how we were born,
Those muddy days in the front lawn,
Have gone perhaps forever,
Have gone, won’t return ever.

Those extra ice- cream scoops and free hotel charges,
Those days of sharing erasers and thus bestowing largesse,
Those impetuous demands and choices of colours,
Those wise things we heard at the tailor’s.
Have gone, won’t return ever.
Those days we wished we grew up soon,
Those days we hoped we could touch the moon,
Those days we thought being an adult was fun,
Those days we didn’t know that they were always on the run.
Those days we believed that the world was simple and good,
Those days we never though ‘We could?’
Those days we loved, were loved and did love,
Those days which are gone, perhaps forever, were a true blessing from above.

*Shakkar- ka- bora means a sack of sugar. This is the term kids are adorned with when elders lift kids on their backs.