Making Adjustments

A hard earned lesson: 
We’d like things to last
But we have to accept
The past is the past.
It was good to see old friends
And join in the catch up game
But even after being away a year 
Their gossip was still the same.
And, then the chat seemed to fade
Because what did I have to say
About strangers they didn’t know
From a world a million miles away.

All these friends there to greet me
And it seemed rather strange
No matter how hard they tried
I was now just on the fringe.
With the older people in the village
The distance was so much more
Many had seen active service
Having served in the last war:
I served in a Europe
United and new,
They saw those things 
From a very different view.
 
Still a child of the village,
That could never be taken away,
But from now on I’d just be
A visitor temporarily come to stay.
My leave passed pleasantly by
Maybe with a little agony and grief
And I think we all said our goodbyes
With just a shade of mutual relief.
The next time I came back
All the awkwardness had gone:
We’d all made our adjustments 
Learned to let things move on.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

Poem

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Bauer Avatar
October 14, 2022 at 10:23 AM
You’ve described the learning of this lesson so well, Terry! Wonderfully written!
La France Avatar
October 14, 2022 at 3:50 AM
Terry, I find your poem quite wonderful and meaningful. In my life, thus far, I have learnt one thing. We can never re-create the past, it just does not work, but in the end we can accept the past making adjustments as in your ending, blessings Constance
Ireland Avatar
October 14, 2022 at 4:43 AM
Thank you Constance - this came as a shock to me having returned for my first leave as a serving soldier. Two different worlds colliding. As you say, all down to making adjustment. Best wishes Terry
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