The Return

on By

Should have seen the signs
Red sky and hovering lake
Ravenous blackbirds flocked
Frenzied
Like the shark
That smells blood

Busy the mind
Chained hands to the task
Away
My only friend
Long was the journey

Absence is a liar
It’s testing
More resilient
Than any heart
Strength of character
Thrown away
Into empty wind

Promises
Even are more empty

Only time and effort
Will erase the disaster
Of neglect


Not sure why this ekphrastic brought me here.
When I was younger, being a journeyman meant exactly that. I had to journey away from my family for extended periods to work my trade. It took a toll on on them and it seemed at times I had completely failed them. Some of my other jobs took me away on the weekends playing music. So even though I was at home every night, I was not available. It was during this time that I realized that words and promises are meaningless.
Only the doing can make things right.
Some memories cannot be erased. They become part of the fabric of your family history. “What kind of memory am I building?”

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6 Comments

  1. I can empathize with where you are because I’ve been there. You’re right life is a journey. We can’t come home unless we first leave home. We can’t find our truest selves until we’ve put on all the other false selves and discover them as false. Families are the people who saw our false selves and loved us any way. Yes the fabric of our family histories must include the threads of empty words and broken promises. Otherwise they will be filled with holes. I don’t know about you but bad memories or better than no memories. Bad memories are a starting place for new experiences that are the stuff of nostalgia.

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    1. Well said. For the most part, I’m not sure it could have happened any other way. If someone is in the position of providing, they must put on a very thick skin and become hyper-focused. It can appear that there is indifference to the family, even though your heart is breaking every day you’re away.

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