The Last Bell

By Bandana Terangpi

The bell echoes through the hall,

familiar, yet final.

Desks sit empty, marked with years of restless hands and fleeting notes.

the room that once rang with laughter, now falls silent.

I hated the rules, the test

the way the clock never move fast enough.

but today, I hesitate-

Not because I'll miss the building or the lessons,

but because leaving the faces

I thought I'll see for a long while.

We walk out together

each step takes us farther apart.

Different cities, different dreams

there’s joy in the freedom ahead,

but it's tinged with something else-

a loss I didn't expect feel

i Say goodbye to the teachers i Swore I disliked and rolled my eyes at.

to hallways I thought I’d forget

to the friends I laughed with untill my Stomach hurt

I wonder if I'll see them again?

if we meet in some distant, ordinary place

Will we stop and say hello?

just pass, by with as Small ? nod?

By Bandana Terangpi