I remember

I remember

As the train of life chugs forward

In the track of life

Crossing various stations

Towards the destination unknown

Leaving a long trail of memories behind

I remember

I remember

That with each passing day

I have something new to learn

With each passing station

I’d little grown up

I remember

I remember

The first time I opened my eyes

And saw light

The first time windswept my face

The first drop I taste

I remember

I remember

The first step I took

The tricycle I put

The first fall I had

I remember

I remember

The day I learnt to read

The day I sensed meaning out of written things

The first time I wrote something

I remember

I remember

The first time I was afraid

I closed my eyes and stayed

I breathed when I saw my mother

I remember

I remember

The first time I laughed

The freckle of a smile

And a guffaw afterwards

I remember

I remember

The first time I was scold

I cried and sobbed

The first time my eyes were moist

I remember

I remember

The first day at school

And I fell asleep in the noon

The first teacher I met

The first friends I made

I remember

I remember

The festivals I enjoyed

The cracked I burned

The colors I splayed

I remember

I remember

The festival of victory of good over evil

The worship of Goddess

The burning of devil

I remember

I remember

The festival of lights

The lightening of diyas, candles and twinkling lights

The day crackers turned the night sky bright

I remember

I remember

The Xmas day

The long wait for Santa

But for a good boy Santa never came

I remember

I remember

The New Year eve

The tasty pastries and juicy cakes

The way we stayed awake till midnight

To say ‘Happy New Year’

I remember

I remember

The Republic Day

The marching troops and weapons displayed

Fills the chest with pride

Even today

I remember

I remember

The Basant Panchmi

The Invocation of Goddess

The upholder of Wisdom and Consciousness

I remember

I remember

The festival of colors

The mouthwatering gujiya and loads of color

The day which drenched all way

I remember

I remember my result day

The stoic restlessness just won’t gave away

The relief I D-day

I remember

I remember

The new books I bought

The excitement of new syllabus

The new class to look forward

I remember

I remember

The summer holidays

The day’s hot sun shone

The power cut relays

I remember

I remember

The Independence Day

The hoisting of flags

Flying kites all day

I remember

I remember

The each passing birthday

The steady loss of innocence

The half burnt candles on the cake

I remember

I remember

The first time my heart throbbed

The first time I stole a look

The first crush I’d ever had

I remember

I remember

The first steps into adulthood

The bad result

The darker days

The bleak future it holds

I remember

I remember

The ray of hope

The ray I clenched onto

The reason that kept me going

I remember

I remember

The first time I fell in love

The spoken babble

And unspoken words

The feebleness leading her walking away

I remember

I remember

The first job I did

A small room

A rickety fan

Two second hand desktops

And plain old files

The long journey I undertook for a meager pay

I remember

I remember

The second job I did

The trading terminals

And ever ringing phones

The sickening long working hours

I remember

I remember

The relief I got

The professor’s explanation

The legal jargon

The freedom I enjoyed for a while

I remember

I remember

The first camping trip

The foothills of Himalayas

The rafting we did

I remember

I remember

The third job of mine

The training period of a trainee

The work culture of an MNC

I remember

I remember

The office trips I made

Along with my office mates

The deserts and mountains

I remember

I remember

A dark day

The first day of the week

And a short notice

The recession’s lash

I remember

I remember

Along all these

The ranging of emotions

Pain and suffering

Love and devotion

The dogged spirit kept going

I remember

I remember

In spite of all

The raindrops of my face

The warmth of winter sun

The mild wind of autumn

I remember

I remember

The small moments of happiness

The decorating of home

The cleaning of commode

The beautiful music all day

I remember

I remember

The times with friends

The jokes we cracked

The hard times we faced

The staying together till today

I remember

The remember

The time I spent

The love I got

The hatred I bred

I remember

I remember

The stations I passed

The people I met

The journey I made

I remember

I remember

That along the way

The good, the bad and the ugly days

The derailed trains on the way

I remember

I remember

The broken rails

The unheeded SOS

The dangers that prevailed

I remember

I remember

The journey I’d took

The journey I am taking

The journey I will take

On the rails of life

Towards destination unknown

Crossing all the stations behind

Leaving a memory trail

I remember

And I will remember

© Tarun Mitra

October 16, 2009