A Friend Lost (2/17/1990)

The sand stretching for miles
As far as I could see
The waves of the turbulent ocean
Rumbling along with the breeze
Clouds like tufts of cotton
Sailing high up in the sky
Yet none aroused my spirits
'Cause my friend had bade goodbye...

He was with me at dawn
When we toddled our way to school
He was with me at noon
The busy days of teens
And before the sun could set
Not waiting for the dusk
He silently slipped away
Away to eternal peace.

The gulls were flying in flocks
Whispering to pals the deeds past
Where shall I seek asylum
Now that you are away from me?
Every speck of sand is trod by you
Every draft of the salty wind
Whispers your lovely name
Yet I find you nowhere..

I retrace my steps home
Gloomy looks the room
Without your charming pranks.
The television screen looks blank
The badminton racquet mocks me
Why did this have to happen?
Who's hand would I grip
When scared to fits?

The loving memories
Of those past golden days
When we used to bicycle our way
Through the roads of laughter and gay
The umpteen ice-creams we shared
The infinite marbles we won
They prick me like a million needles
And ooze uncontrollable tears..

Minutes tick by to hours
And hours give way to days
I have to accept with reluctance
The lost your departure has made
Let me live my life in haste
For then I can join you there
And let's live again and again
For a hundred births as friends.