SWEET WERE THOSE DAYS

The hill was steep and rocky

littered with rocks – small

medium and large-sized

with thick bushes

bearing fruits and grass patches here and there.

On the top of the  hill was

an elephantine rock

which resembled and elephant.

In my school days

during lunch intervals

we students used to climb up the hill.

Those were the days

climbing up the hill was

so hilarious and easy to us.

Those were days

we searched for safety-valves

to spend our pent-up energies.

Unlike these days we can’t

keep up that spirit,

with the age gradually catching up.

On the largest rock

over the top of the hill

the elephant—sized rock

it was our hobby to climb over the elephant

and sitting like mahouts,

standing like

mountaineers on the

top of the Everest

overjoyed and

visibly feeling delight

with the top of the world feeling.

We would stand over

the giant elephant

and look around and

get drunk with the beauty

of the verdant landscape.

With about minutes to

go for the bell to ring

to reach our  school

its buildings had spread

vertically and horizontally

we would rush to our class-rooms .

Memories sometimes play young

by bringing up pictures of the old days

in front of us.

The old days, old familiar

faces, old but painful memories

sweet love-affairs

each and everything

just to entertain us

just to hurt us

intentionally or unintentionally

mind you ,none is able to

remember future days

but to visualize at the most is possible

the very thought is absurd.

Sometimes it might turn

correct

sometimes it might turn wrong

since future is not in our hands.

Now that after years

the steep, rocky mountain is not there

already levelled

and huge resorts have come-up and

of course bungalows and mansions.

Nostalgia is something

we are blessed with

none always likes to live in the past

Once in  a while to wind back and

forth is something nice and exhilarating.