Friendship

Childhood memories .

The chime of laughter, vibrant, bright, and bold,

A tapestry of stories, to be told.

Of childhood parties, where the joy ran free,

With siblings tangled, wild and loud with glee.

Around the Christmas tree, a twinkling light,

Or birthday candles, burning ever bright.

We gathered close for football, art, or craft,

Each shared success, a memory we\'d engraft.

But most, the pool, beneath the velvet night,

Where tiny boats sailed, bathed in silver light.

A liquid haven, safe and deeply known,

Where only happiness and love were sown.

No other thought, no shadow, no dark dread,

Just pure contentment, wonderfully spread.

Held in that warmth, a world complete and whole,

Love\'s steady current, calming every soul.

A fortress built of giggles, innocent and vast,

A perfect security, designed to last.

Now years have spun, the seasons swiftly fly,

And what once burned beneath a boundless sky

Has settled down, a whisper in the air,

A spectral quiet, a shadow everywhere.

We gather \'round the space where joy once reigned,

A hollow circle, silently constrained.

The vibrant past, now just an empty shell,

A quiet echo, where no stories dwell.

It sits so shallow, where the laughter died,

A memory outline, with nothing left inside.

Just childhood\'s ghost, a beautiful, past dream,

Upon the surface of life\'s flowing stream.

A cherished haven, loved and left behind,

Now only silence for the older mind.