A Familiar Face Long Gone

A Poem on Childhood Memories

Photo by Wayne Lee-Sing on Unsplash

I saw her one day

At the school where we once attended together

I, now a teacher

And her, a grandparent

Her face was not quite familiar

And so, I did not notice

And then she spoke to me

And there was something in the voice

And the slight smile

That awakened my memory

And it was good to see an old friend

A classmate

Although within her eyes

I could see

Life had not been so kind

But in this moment

None of those reasons

None of those judgements

None of those events

Mattered at all

It only mattered

That I saw within those eyes

A reflection

Of our long-ago selves

Of playground antics

And lunchroom conversations

And classroom learning