Home

I was a child, I was home

my sister and her friends
playing made up things
more real than reality

you can hold a book
you cannot hold a word

crawling under the large pine tree
we entered our house
our school room
our little shop

goofing off for hours
as girls do

at puberty I left unknowingly
no longer fit for girl groups
and never fitting in with the boys

I became my solo companion
in the sea of people

I found an island
in my forties
so quiet not even starlight reached

my child was the soul survivor
hidden underneath that pine tree

she softly approached
and said please play

taking my hand
she took me shopping
our first dress
the purchase

I am a woman, I am home