COME HOME!

Come home
These words played in my mind
as I went through the morning walk
with thick and heavy clouds rolling by
and red brick buildings all over
as if guarding me, hiding me
keeping me in captivity
away, away from home

As I looked around
all I could see were strangers
not at all looking like me
bleached hair, khaki shorts
short, short red shorts
with shirt two sizes too small

Don't get me wrong
it was pleasant to the eye
depending on which eye was looking
which was usually the eye
that was not looking back
unlike way, way back,
back home

And so it was with heavy feet
that I weaved myself through the traffic
of strange men and women with stranger hair
and shirts announcing their makers
logos that swoosh left and right
and check marks bouncing
as their hips bounce
as they walk the walk unfamiliar
unknown, uncommon to me

At that moment, out of the corner of my eye
I noticed a stagger, an unsteady walk
I could swear I have seen before
something so familiar you hardly even notice
a gold Speedo shirt bought on sale
a worn out Gap pants tired of getting washed
with seams torn and pockets ready to give up
and a blue baseball cap worn backwards

For a minute there, I thought I saw yesterday
a past that once in a while comes back
to torment me,
or to keep me company in my misery
and maybe to add more burden and guilt
to my already overloaded memory
a brother lost and forgotten
and lost, too, were the smiles,
the reassurances of friendship,
and the dreams once promised to never forget

Under the clear blue sky, I squinted my eyes
as if to see better, as if to see clearer
this visitor, this nightmare
and for one brief moment
I wished that the boots were the old ones
tired of walking and continually talking
about retiring

But what I saw were a pair
of high-priced walking shoes
not unlike the pair I was wearing
shoes comfortable for walking

away from yesterday
and a long, long way from home