Room of Yesterday

There was no one there. I flicked the light switch and walked forward a few steps. I swung my backpack off of my shoulder onto a chair and sat on the one next to it. This was the room. There was no one there- but it was not silent. The voices of yesterday, the echo of laughter, useless conversations, meaningful conversations, a few tears. That was the corner...there was the seat...the memories were tripping over themselves. I felt a dull ache. It was a longing- the kind of feeling of losing something dear and knowing that it can never return. A tear slipped down my cheek. This room represented a time in my life- a time of tears, a time of laughter, a time of learning, a time of the past. For a moment I felt helpless- trapped in a current of time- the waves trampling me under yesterday's grip. I breathed a goodbye and my eyes shut, the tears finding a way onto my fingers in my lap. So tangible, and yet untouchable. Here was yesterday- it was here- but I could not reach it.