The waft of air carrying the petrichor, 

The gloomy, pregnant sky, 

All set to deliver the rains, 

Tickled my memories of, 

Carefree school days. 

My hunger pangs were resolved, 

Always from my friends’ lunchboxes

The mothers, they seemed to know, 

The friends, better than their own kids, 

As the food was packed for friends. 

My respect for my teachers, 

Was always heartfelt. 

The strictest to the kindest, 

Were treated alike, in unison. 

Ahhh.. That respect still lingers. 

Competition was there, 

But very healthy though, 

The pressure to score, 

Was that ever felt? 

Pat came NO, as the unified response. 

The waft of air, carries the smoke, 

The child of industrialization you see. 

The smog blocked my vision, 

As I struggled to see and understand, 

The current generation. 

Sharing shrunk only to letters, 

As allergies took prominence. 

Finishing food from one’s own box, 

Became the new normal. 

Alas!! Do they realize what they miss? 

Gadgets emerged like a giant, 

Trying to replace the knowledge in bone and flesh. 

Respect vanished into thin air, 

That did leave many in despair. 

And I wonder aloud, can machines replace teachers??

Competition now seems between parents, 

The responsibilities of that, 

Ahh… weighs upon the tiny shoulders. 

Childhood seems lost in this cacophony, 

Children, seem to have lost the joy of learning. 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash