Dust hung heavy in the air, Almost choking her The old smell of paper Came in mists as she stirred So many memories Flooded her mind, Times she’d forgotten We’re on rewind. A tear hung on her lashes, And softly fell The sight of that room Held her a spell, So many things had Changed since then, And so differently Than she’d planned Looking around a moment, Then quickly stepping away She didn’t want to think of it, And continued on her way. Creaking floor boards And the eerie quiet Reminded her that she Wasn’t young and defiant, Those were days long past, The crowds she knew Had gone their ways, And we’re lost from view. Peeking in where she Was sure The library had been In days of yore A tiny laugh escaped, So quiet it was lost, The pranks they played And how they cost! So alone in the world No one left of her own, She had found her way To her childhood home, The little town That she knew by heart, Every footpath, And every trail for a cart, Today she had walked Past the old school, And took a stroll through Where she’d got her first jewel.