By Mark A Leon

They tore down the diner where echoes of Time after Time remain
It was a place of comfort between the pom poms and the heartbreak
A sanctuary from 2 AM to the break of dusk
Musty coffee, gravy cheese fries with ketchup and our dreams
We laughed about the rejection 
Took comfort in the caffeinated high
That was our unscripted reality a long time ago

We didn’t find religion under the steeples blinded by the stained glass fantasies of the bible
We found faith in a bottle of Boone’s Farm and the warm embrace of the one we loved deep in the heartland of the woods
Strawberry Hill and a kiss
That moments that lasted forever and froze time

The lake soaked away the pain of youth
Adolescence captured in 33mm
Our wanderlust was locked away in the back of a worn down convertible 
Panties between the hot leather seats
That first love; no looking back
It was the summer of anytime
It was our time
Time after time

The hallways riddled in trophies of yesteryear
A rainbow of lockers filled with promises of the future
A glimpse of a bra strap through a white tee-shirt and our innocence was lost

Go team Go 
Chiefs and warriors filled the streets and ruled the Friday Night Lights
We will rock you on the bus ride there
We are the champions echoing on the way home

‘This is the Time to Remember’ still playing in the jukebox of my subconscious 
The hugs of sadness
The kisses of forever
Some moved on

Others remained behind
But the certificate remains
A legal document confirming the best years of our lives.

Time to take a ride down these empty streets
Time to find a way to where we once belonged
Time to reflect upon the days that made us who we are

Time after time
Time after time