The Smileys

THE SMILEYS The little tap on the shoulder as my teachers praised, Their expressive eyes, the guiding light, the path shown bright, Their smiles, the rewards for the day's hard work, Suddenly the smiles to smileys changed! I miss the hustle bustle of the noisy classes, The shouts, the calls, as the boys run around, The groups of girls in the corner giggling, Sharing the stories of the previous day's adventures! The loving words of the teachers that today I miss, Their scoldings, too, seem sweeter this day, As we yearn to be together again, The benches, the desks, the boards, the vacant halls! The running on the staircase, how much we enjoyed, Though very well we knew that was against the rules, But we loved the thrill that accompanied the sport, The thumping of the feet and the noisy air! No more pushing nor rushing to the class, No more punishing of the latecomers, the defaulters, How comfortably we sit in the comfy rooms, Why then my heart still lingers on in the school? Peeping out in the corridors, stealing a glance, Running back to the class, avoiding confronts, The quiet ones busy with the books, in the projects engrossed, While the others hopped and played around! The lonely corridors, the silence prevails, That wait for the return of the rightful occupants, The large black gate wanting to open, To let in the cheerful bubbling angelic faces again! I had my friends, the sweet love-hate relations, Their birthdays fondly remembered, the cards that I made, Oh! My dear friend sparkled as she opened the surprise, Shall I send a video, a gif, an e-card this time? Virtual expressions can never replace the real, Lacking emotions, the intimacy, the bond, I wish that one day I'll again see the smiles, Not the clapping emojis, the thumbs up, the countless smileys!