School Days

They were names that had faces,
people who belonged to places.
Friends who mended the seams;
classmates of shared dreams.
They were white and black, colors
of a vast array.
They were a rainbow of yesterday.

They were a hedge against reality,
The calm in an ever changing sea;
peers who tamed the rising tides,
who gave advice and always took sides.
They were kindred souls whose arrogance
masked the fear;
they are a living memory of yesteryear.