Certain songs put a pit in my stomach, overwhelming me with the nostalgia their lyrics and melody bring up from the depths of my soul, especially when that nostalgia surrounds the early days of my childhood. The days we spent laughing and playing on Woonsocket Circle. It’s so easy to forget about those carefree kids when you’re an adult and a parent. And then you hear an ancient song that brings it all back and you’re compelled to write a poem about it. This one’s for my first—and oldest—friend.
Hello Again
There was a day
Long years ago
When our worlds
Revolved as one
In a teeny town
Beside the tracks
Heading nowhere
And yet everywhere
Within the fleeting blink
Of a child’s rosy eye
Yet the tides keep turning
A magician’s fateful trick
And one life becomes two
Diverged
Until a whispered lyric
And a sentimental tune
Whisk you back
To where it all began
Hello, my friend
Hello
Do you remember
Those million moments
Shared, then stolen
By an age-old thief
Without remorse
Forever lost
But never forgotten
Preserved
By the unbidden hope
That the twin souls
Of those kids we used to know
Will circle back
Somewhere
Over the rainbow
And reunite
On the cherished corner
Of a circle
Called Woonsocket
Such a blast from the past and a beautiful tribute. I long for those days of yesteryear when we were carefree, weren’t obsessed with electronics and our imaginations let us fly day and night on those kid-filled streets. I weep for those memories and wish our kids had the same delight of being outside all afternoon together, playing and peaceful!