Once upon a time
at a starry sheen moonlight
heart rending serenade
I passionately responded
as luring whiff of unmistakable
fragrance of nostalgia
plummeted me through childhood
hazy maze and with crystal longing
stares of forgotten voices
stoked the smoldering
embers of sleeping fires
and once again retrospect’s court
I was summoned to drink
the bittersweet verdict of ambivalence.

paths not taken, smiles not returned
Seeds half sowed in stunted growth
insatiate disrupted oyster deep diving swims
scintillating fishing expedition thrills gnawed
berry picking sprees, jungle-hunting packs
truancy-laden schools barefooted trodden.

puberty slapped and hurtled me
headlong into the preposterous travail
pits of the hazy mazes of adolescence
naive serenading virgins ventured
behind flowering shrubs wittingly lured
sent away limping as initiating tasted
naivety fled leaving a gnawing quest
unwitting scapegoats of juvenile delinquency
Oh! But how many childhood sweethearts!
ripe fruits untainted, not plucked!
dreams unfulfilled, snares not dodged
eggs in nest not hatched and songs unsung
what remains is only the fragrance of nostalgia
charting the path of future hunches without regrets.

Written by
Dela Bobobee©