Test of Time

First day of college.
Everyone exchanging numbers,
exchanging names.
New friends in the making,
with glances cast over shoulders
at the girls just behind them.
Oh, the innocence,
those fleeting moments.

Some time passes.
The roles are quickly cast:
The bright mind,
the charmer,
the quiet backbencher.
Circles begin to form,
people drifting in big groups,
while many struggle just to belong.

Many find their first love,
few find the heart to confess.
Fewer still are accepted.
The rest are left to wander, looking.
Legend says they still are.

More time passes.
The circles tighten, the cliques grow smaller.
A semblance of a bond is formed.
Trust begins to take root,
and friendships deepen.

And just like that, time has passed.
The cliques are smaller still.
And I wonder how it happens,
where we left each other behind.
Where did everyone go?