Away
I half expect to hear my dog
Come clomping down the stairs
As I sit on fresh, new carpet
Not the same of former years
The basement’s cool; it always is
Its walls the brightest white
But there will be no dog today
I fear she’s left this life
The movie ends, my parents leave
I continue to wash clothes
Up the stairs I walk and stop
To think in my repose:
In my brother’s room is a box
A wooden crate long forgotten
It resides on his closet floor
Retired from its purpose of upholding the box television
We used as kids to play video games
My brother, who would sneak downstairs
To catch a midnight moment on computer games
My brother, who would sneak out at night
To pursue his romantic interests
My brother, who grabbed me by the hand
And dunked me by the Father, Son, and Spirit…
My brother has moved away
And his is not the only marriage
They are popping up left and right
All around in all four seasons
As boys grow into men
And here I am, heart full of turmoil
As I sit in the spot the Christmas tree resides
As it has for 18 years
As it does on every year
When Christmas rolls around
But its summer now and my days are long
And my time at home is short
To get good grades
And win a heart
Is the desire of every student
I’m leaving, too, severing all ties
Thinking of the graduation caps blooming with balloons
All saying equivalently “Adventure is out there”
And my next step is forward
But my heart screams “Backward”
But I, too, am moving away
Copyright © Joseph Awante | Year Posted 2017
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