The Traveler Card
It could have been a jester
wrapped in shrink wrap
or a prince who danced
who spoke to me.
To go or stay
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know
as I drove to see a friend—
we’d just worked together
at a store but she left.
I followed the signs
to a new place.
I couldn’t get her
out of my mind.
Trees and parks
and rows of houses
rolled past and played out
scenes of my life.
I passed a quiet stream.
I was back from four years
of traveling for work
following construction crews,
a life of hotel rooms
a time when I never knew
what home was
but I followed crews
as they built a new world.
I look to the sky and wondered
if I’d come back for her.
Dark clouds passed
but I knew it wouldn’t rain.
A crown of trees luscious green.
In past years, I’d leave
and now a voice said
wanderlust.
But it also said stay.
Stay?
I would have to learn
to live again.
Little did I know
that in time
I’d have to learn
to live without her.
The jester smiled.
a voice inside said
that leaving someone
was part of the journey
but to leave them with love.
My car tires sang
and the radio played
as I drove alone
and toward the sun.
It was spring, and I knew
spring would lead to summer.
The card rested on the passenger seat.
Copyright © Mike Bayles | Year Posted 2025
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