Nostalgia, is as vast as the sea.
Nostalgia, is a sentimental longing, and it bleeds.
It’s your past, future, and present,
it has no end.
It’s all just the very moments one might miss.
Running and playing with your older siblings,
while the sun sets.
Swimming and playing Marco Polo,
while your knotty hair is wet.
Walking into the first day of school,
nervous, even if all it took was just one step.
Riding your bikes off into the sunset.
Smiling, mom and dad keeping close, somewhere nearby.
But then it happens,
right before your eyes.
Quick as lighting.
Faster than one can see.
it’s almost quite dazzling.
Mom and dad now keep streaks of grey hair,
it almost hard to bear.
Brother and sister moved away, somewhere.
They have their own children to care for.
And you, you’re still here, very much aware.
It’s not a want but a need,
to be like those who’ve left and are now who they are meant to be.
But alas nostalgia reminds you of the past and not of the desire for the future.
It’s a feeling that’s hard to butcher.
It’s what keeps you young.
It’s what keeps you going when things get tough.
It may feel rough, however it can be
a gentle reminder of how far you have come.
A glimpse to look back at what one day you will miss.
Your parents young, your siblings young, and yourself young.
Nostalgia is one wondrous thing and it might seem a little silly.
But all it is, is trying to understand and reminisce on who you once used to be.
And that can be quite a beautiful thing.
--Jazmin O., 9th-12 Grade