Just travelled back in time,
Lush green lower field on the outskirts of Thar,
Saint Xavier’s it was, great legends in blue, dribbling their way to glory,
How we ran to get their attention, slices of lime along with Gopal,
Anand Singh Junia blowing his might into that whistle,
Ashraf’s sprint across that wing, daulat’s boom to that soccer,
It all came back with that one look into his face,
Though the calendar showed 2011 across that table at club,
I could have sworn, I was eight and the year was 1978
On the morning of Christmas,
Searching that turn for Brij Nikunj,
I was twelve and the year was 1982
It was auntie’s Birthday,
And we were five of those 28,
Biju, Ripu, Vineet and Tonu, with the perfect hosting from that little that Shivani was
Every second was a reminiscence and the child within the adults were just giggling to silly,
We missed the others and the lady much
Later that evening,
Among the batch of 86 at john’s house
My seniors were as young as me,
As it was then it was now,
Nothing had changed,
Not Jai or Prashant,
Neither Anuj nor Nitin,
Wives and kids had gladly let the men be boys one more day
A day later,
Holding my kids, spouse on side,
A walk into that hall,
Time had no meaning now,
There stood twelve years of my life,
Every face that I knew and all those who feigned to know me,
Their age, their memories had just left them with a glowing smile,
And I stood with droplets in my eyes,
For it didn’t matter if Junia recognized me or Maya David would know me!
As long as I had seen them once more,
I remembered my father that moment the most,
Wish he could see these tears,
I had earned them well
That night later,
The year was 1990
And all of them must be forty now,
As they were all drunk and didn’t matter what,
Wives were smiling or smirking, it didn’t matter either,
Hugs and swears, promises and apologies,
It was definitely not the end,
How the crowd thinned and no one asked how we earn our bread,
This is school and it is just emotion, commotion and pure, not an iota of greed
For all of us,
I just hope that there is a tomorrow.
