Echoes of My Childhood

In dusty lanes where memories play,

I chased the sun the childish way.

With muddy hands and carefree soul,

Each laugh and tear had made me whole.

Kites that danced in sky so blue,

And paper boats in rains that flew.

The world was small, yet dreams were tall,

With chalk on walls and scribbled scrawl.

A whistle made from mango leaf,

Could ease a heart or silence grief.

Those secret forts behind the trees,

And whispered oaths in summer breeze.

The scent of roti, school-time bell,

Each had a story still to tell.

Barefoot joy on village ground,

A treasure lost, yet always found.

A scolding soft, a lullaby,

The stars that blinked in velvet sky.

A broken toy, a healed heart,

Each ending wrote a fresh new start.

Where are those marbles, songs, and swings?

Where’s the joy in simpler things?

Now life runs fast, but still I see,

That child inside who still is me.

Oh childhood, fleeting, pure and bright,

You live in dreams I hold at night.

Though years may pass and hair turn grey,

Your echoes never fade away.

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By: Atif Jamal