What word best describes the passage of time? Phrases like "in the blink of an eye" or "fleeting" all seem pale and inadequate after circling in my mind. (Epigraph)
I don't know who first said time is a butcher's knife, but before you know it, you've been worn down by its relentless grinding. In the rush, I've lost so much, and gained so much too.
My classmates on QQ are all quietly there, some online, some offline. Clicking on them leaves me with nothing to talk about. Different life paths have shaped different worldviews; chatting or not chatting is no longer significant. The friendships of yesteryear have slowly faded, leaving only a QQ avatar.
Looking back at the people who have come and gone, some have succeeded, living a life of luxury, while others have failed, losing everything. Some earn a lot of money, but they just do things mechanically; others, though struggling financially, are still striving for their dreams or careers.
Many people have passed away in life, and new people have arrived. Various kinds of farewells, some already permanent; various kinds of gatherings, drinking and laughing.
Sometimes I feel a deep emptiness around me, the echoes are so loud, so loud that I can't find my way. Other times I feel so full, so full that there's no time to stop and think.
I light a cigarette and watch the smoke curl. I hope that those who have passed away are at peace, wherever they are. I hope that those who have come cherish this brief reunion, because we don't know when God will make us never see each other again.
How I wish I could wake up in my second-grade classroom, the teacher writing complex addition and subtraction on the blackboard, my deskmate nervously keeping watch for me, listening to the cicadas chirping outside, and marveling at how long and deep my dream was.
At graduation time, I write a few words to commemorate the five years that have passed in a flash.
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