This poem reflects on the passage of time and the enduring glow of cherished memories. While youth may fade and years bring change, the past continues to live within us, guiding, shaping, and inspiring.

It encourages embracing the present with hope, energy, and light, honoring both what was and what is yet to come.

# Shadow of the Past #

Once there was a season
when dreams gathered like stars
in the wide sky of our eyes.
Hope ran through our veins
like a restless river in spring,
and the world felt endless,
waiting for our footsteps.

We walked without fear then—
days bright as morning sunlight,
nights full of whispered plans.
Every road promised wonder,
every tomorrow carried
a new beginning in its hands.

But time, quiet and patient,
kept turning its invisible pages.
Silver found its way into our hair,
soft lines settled upon our faces,
and the hurried rhythm of youth
learned the slower music of years.

Yet the past does not fade away.
It lingers—
in the scent of an old evening,
in a song half-remembered,
in laughter echoing somewhere
deep within the heart.

Those moments still glow,
like lamps in a distant village,
guiding us through darker nights.
Every hardship, every tender memory
has stitched its thread
into the fabric of who we are.

So let us not mourn the passing seasons.
Let us gather the warmth they left behind.
Today is still alive in our hands,
breathing with quiet possibilities.

And if the shadow of the past
walks beside us sometimes,
let it remind us gently—
that life, even now,
is still unfolding
with new hopes,
new zeal,
and new light.

(Vijay Verma)
www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: kavita

Tags: #creativity, #emotion, #Memories, #poem, #wellness