I round the bend
And embrace the sweet scent of belonging,
Inside a house where I grew up
Weathered, drafty, and cold
But firmly tied with a comforting ribbon of warm hearts and helping hands.
One hundred years and still standing beneath the white oak, the walnut, and the pine
Encircled by a flecked emerald carpet
Shining like a precious gem
Surpassing the test of space and time.
And the journey apart
Melts away before me
Like morning dew
Reviving the earth, the two red roses budding outside
The kitchen window
My bliss.
The bees, the invasive bamboo, and the poison ivy
Wrestle me constantly
To block the path, change my mood
Challenging me to ignore the whys of the uncompromising past.
As I steady myself to run up and over the last hill
Musing over humid nights in Hawaii
The nights I cried myself to sleep
Lost in paradise
Trapped inside a thick cloud
Of never enough
Should have and might have been.
I clench my teeth and smile
Knowing the fleeting nature of memory
That now and tomorrow remain impermanent
Confident as I sprint the final stretch,
Ignoring the ache.
I brood over the precious fruit from that union
Flawed but sweet, still daring to distract a Goliath.
As I reach the finish line and know that
I can breathe.
I am a survivor.
I am closer to becoming me.
1/21/26
Corney Press 