I’M GOING HOME TODAY

The hills are dry, they lost their color
early this year; and the water level
of the lake just outside of town is slowly dropping.
Will the history that pulsates through us
one day be lost?

I hope there are more true friends
out there, for us all, but especially for you.
I’m going home today, that’s all I know.
It’s different for everyone.
Can we still find our way back?

We made it through
the river’s drops, with little left of our
battered raft. And it’s hard now to say goodbye,
with the battle still somewhere off in the distance.
What will we find once we get there?

More letters from places far away reach me
than letters from home, I hope these faces
never get lost in my mind.
Will I forget what it was like to be out in the cold
if I can’t hear my voice?

(June 18, 2008)