Reunion, May 2012

The village has grown bigger The way that villages do Parts have been demolished And parts of it are new. The Hotel has expanded, Very little is the same, Except the warm atmosphere And they’ve kept the name. Nearly fifty years gone since We were last together there, Faces changed and wrinkled And some have lost their hair. But, these aging bodies house Minds that are young at heart So much reminiscing to do To cover all those years apart. Thoughts of those friends We’ve lost over the years Absent friends toasts made Eyes maybe holding unshed tears. There’s a walk around the area And on up to the camp site Retracing those footsteps Made after many a boozy night. Most of the buildings are gone, The Square weeds and grass, Sure sign of a changing world As time has steadily passed. Most of it now new built housing, An upmarket residential estate No longer a guarded entry No longer a guardroom and gate. The operations block a clubhouse For the eighteen hole golf course Now a recreational area once Inhabited by a military work force. For years she guarded democracy Kept an ever watchful eye But priorities perceived to have Changed as years have gone by. We have walked around our past Taken note of the changes seen Each awash with his memories Each glad that he’s been. Then we part at the station as Our reunion finally ends After all those years glad we took A chance to see some old friends.