Echoes of Yesterday

By Avranill Chakrabarty

It feels as though yesterday I learned to speak,

Now words spill from my lips, restless and unique.

I wish I could shrink back, to that simpler time,

But against time’s pull, I’m left in this climb.

It feels as though yesterday, I played with my brother,

Now he stands as a man, while I watch, unsure of another.

I long for the days when joy was pure and free,

Now I stand by his side, but he feels distant from me.

It feels as though yesterday, 2020 struck with force,

Taking lives in its wake, a relentless, silent course.

I wish I had more time to hold those dear,

But time marched on, stealing moments, unclear.

It feels as though yesterday, I wrote my first letter,

Now books pile high, my soul feeling fettered.

I wish I could halt the rush, set my heart free,

If only I held the power of time’s endless sea.

It feels as though yesterday, I stepped into school,

Now I gaze at those walls, where memories rule.

Soon I’ll say my goodbyes, a chapter to close,

And wonder how swiftly the river of time flows.

It feels as though yesterday, I wished to grow tall,

Now I wish to shrink back, to heed time’s call.

Is it wrong to crave what can never return,

Or to wish for the power to make time burn?

By Avranill Chakrabarty