I passed by my hometown one sunny day,

A place that I hadn't returned to for years,

The road and houses were all the same,

The same people stood out as if frozen

In a never-ageing but dusty frame.

Then we passed by my old house,

A home I had abandoned tearfully

Not due to lack of love but outer force.

My heart squeezed in painful cries-

The trees I used to climb were gone.

The walls were dirted by lack of care

The windows were falling down.

It looked merely a haunted place.

Who'd have guessed the history before,

When the place was filled with people,

When love echoed on the walls.

Who'd have known that a child,

An adopted child had happily grown,

Creating moments of yearned affection

In a place she thought would forever be her home.

The abandoned house soon faded,

It was gone from the view as we drove,

A skeleton of memories that remained

On old photographs alone.