Half a lifetime ago,
I couldn’t wait
to get out of this place.
I thought it was
too small for me,
that it could never contain
everything I had to offer.
Now, I don’t ever
want to leave.
I want to grow old
and die here,
just like you,
and give the best of myself
to the few square miles
of my upbringing.
***
Besides, if I left here now,
I would leave all
your ghosts behind,
and I’d have nothing
but the Memories of the mind,
which cannot whisper in my ear,
or brush up against me,
or greet me on my morning walks
the way your Spirit can.
Speak to me.
***
They say you don’t
truly miss something
until it’s gone.
I’ve learned the hard way
that you don’t
truly miss something
until you fully concede
that it’s never coming back.
***
The flag of my heart
is at half-mast for you.
We can raise it back
to the top together
when I finish passing through,
and join you on the other side
of this invisible curtain
which separates us.
Until then,
I will walk the sidewalks
of my childhood
and the hills and valleys
of my youth,
looking for the signs that you
promised you would send me.
Speak to me.
Copyright 2025 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)
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Kesel Wilson 