Manan Das's poem is about what happens when the past comes back without warning. Meeting an old friend, or walking down a quiet path where the speaker once talked with a lover, is enough to bring the years of youth rushing in. The butterfly-catching of childhood and the gossip of "new youth" appear as small, bright snapshots rather than a full story.
In the last stanza the speaker drifts into imagination. A fall of bird feathers prompts a thought, and the speaker opens "the pages of fairy tales," picturing a ride on horseback through kingdoms they have conquered. The final image is gentle: kneeling and resting their palms on the "stairs of rainbow." It feels almost like a prayer, or a quiet bow to something beautiful.
The mood is nostalgic and tender, with a touch of wonder. The speaker doesn't seem bitter about time passing. Instead, memory becomes a place to visit, where childhood play and youthful romance blend into a dreamlike, fairy-tale world.