The Road Behind Poem by George Aul

Familiar face, old face...
the past back in a flash,
memories of days gone by;
a face weathered,
a face looking the same,
a friendly gesture,
a remembered name,
stories exchanged...
we talk, we laugh,
but mainly we yearn...
yearn for lost time, for innocence;
yes, we yearn for ourselves,
for what was or what never could be...
we yearn for our lost selves.
Did we become better
or did we do worse?
Yes, we yearn for ourselves.
The stories finally end,
old faces, familiar faces depart,
time must move on...
new faces, new stories.