by DellyBelly

Created on: June 28, 2008   Last Updated: July 26, 2008

Years had passed
Since they were all together in one room
But they were not complete
Some of these secondary school classmates
Had been lost along the journey

You could see some grey amidst the black hairs
The muscular exuberant lads
Had gradually become calm older men
With those wrinkles that depicted age
As much as experience

The Senior prefect of the set
Still looking very much a leader

Though mostly from his carriage
And not his stature this time
Stood up
He proposed a toast

Reflexively, they raised their wine glasses
But he said "No"
"Today's toast will be a different toast
To life
And all I can think of when I think of life
Is water
So simple
Yet we can't do without it
It gives us the green vegetation
That gives us food
Quenches our thirst
Softens our soil
Cools the earth
And plays a part in everything we do"

He raised his glass of water
They poured some water into their glasses
And raised theirs too
"What do you think of when you think of water?"
"Personally, I think of life",
"So here's to life", he said
And looked at the audience expectantly
From the back came, "to purity"
"to innocence", said another
"to simplicity"
"to clarity"
"to the embrace of the familiar"
"to memories of our youth"
"to rebirth"
"to peace"
"to nature's calming sounds"
"to parts of our past that our future must live with"
"to the unchanging"
"to change"
"to food!", said the then Food prefect
they all laughed
He had slimmed down
but his humour remained as big as ever

"Clack", "Clang"
Went the glasses

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