Returning Home

Gravel beneath my shoes as I meander along my path

Cool winds chill my aching body

Silent eyes peer from square boxes as I pass

Pickups in the yard and animals astray



So begins the symphony of howls and barks

As I cross the threshold of their territory

Echoing past the swaying weeds and my steady progress

Beer cans and garbage litter the path along muddy water



The steady sound of my shoes hitting the pavement loud and annoying here

Brisk air easily inhales deeper, cooling me to the core

Cautious steps along the grass sinking into the moisture

A cross warns along the curve, a missed 'baby girl' for all to heed



Baby doe alone in a ditch, this death not unnoticed by me...

Death is rampant here, around every corner

Corpses of animals easy to find, as easy as the animals are in life...

Running free and wild across the land



Steady hum of joyous voices filter through the wind from atop the hill

A church being built for apparently here there are never enough.

Sad is the faith of these people, sad are many of them

Sad am I that cannot blindly follow and find such faith to comfort me



Pausing long enough to soak in my surroundings

Striking beauty surrounds me

Trees of stature and solitude creep nearer

I think and think, for that is what I do



And slowly the drops begin to fall

I am the black rain cloud, and how fitting it should be

Coolness raps my face as I struggle on

Stepping lightly as vehicles zoom past



I am alone, even the wind does not find me here

Only my breath makes a sound as I walk

With fury and determination

Expelling emotion with every step, freeing my mind



I walk with purpose and intent, I walk...for me

Turning around the sky turns dark, as if to comfort me

The wind finds me again, beckons me

Whispers sweet nothings down my spine



I could walk forever, never turn back

Carried lightly by my breeze

I find my way back to gravel and greet the road

Studying carefully the house before me



Full of life now, no longer alone

Glancing backward briefly and searching

Before stepping onto the porch...

Returning home.