A hundred minutes from home and nothing looks like it used to,
but men on the street say the same things. A guilty relief.
I worried my ring would change things: make me less than myself,
more a collared dog escaped from the yard.
//
The brownstones have fresh facades, already summer dusty, wanting
for rain. Here is the corner that was a bodega, then a crime scene,
now a realty office. I suppose I've shifted, too. Three years of sun
and sorrow will mark a soul or a map. It's all the same.
//
The KFC dumpster still spills chicken bones and tattered skin.
Motorcycles parade, trailing bachata blare and car alarms.
A basketball game is picked up and up and up, and I wonder if the new girl
in my old window hates the dribble trickle as much as I did.
//
The gentry seek fresh land with cute cafes, pet-friendly, washers in unit.
Remember the final scene in the laundromat? Quarters rolling on the floor,
spin cycle unstuck with a kick, the attendant turning the dryer up up up
on delicates tumbling low, trying to push me out. It worked.
//
I live in Jersey now. In twelve minutes, I'll be wiping sweat from my lip
in a chilly subway car, crossing rivers, hunting graffiti and resisting ads.
Seek Jesus. Visit Maryland. If you see something, say something.
The problem is this: I look away, and it morphs before me, grinning.
//
Where did the time go? Why am I newly scared of delivery bikes
when they speed the same on both sides of the dotted line between states?
There's history I knew and unknew and also stuff I missed completely.
I was here. I was here. I was here.
About the Creator
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Time for #2
This is the second article on my review of the ideas in The Four Agreements. Here's the first article: I knew that I'd move forward with this series, but I put it off as Agreement #2 is a big stumbling block for me. I'd like to say I decided to get out of my own way and thus wrote this, but that isn't the truth. (Since Agreement #1 is to Be Impeccable with Your Word I surely need to own up to that)
By Judey Kalchik 3 days ago in BookClub
Comments (16)
A great walk , thank you for sharing your journey with us
Amazing and relatable. This is exactly how I feel when I visit my family in south Florida.
Gosh this was so incredibly relatable. It's even amazing to drive down streets near you that you no longer use because of a move or job change or whatever, and then you do and it's a bit jarring. Absolutely loved this from you :)
I read the poem, which is beautiful btw, and then I read some comments. I was surprised at how many of us are no longer living in our home towns. The feelings evoked from this piece are probably the same for most, if not all, of us. I think it's a feeling of nostalgia, of happiness and sadness, and of belonging and not belonging all at the same time. You really got me thinking, and wanting to go home.
Felt this so many times. The graffitti imagery is just so poignant and beautiful. Its such a werd feeling returning anywhere that once housed your heart. Great poem, so well written 🤍
This was so beautiful. I liked the line about your ring changing things. I've often had that thought going home too. So well done
A beautiful and nostalgic poem! I love the last line, because when you go home it's not just about the memories, but in some way we wish to be acknowledged that we were a part of the history there, if only in a small way💙Anneliese
Wonderful. I could feel the sentiment and recollections as if I were living them myself. Excellent work!!!
You have no idea when I say how much I resonate with this poem, especially since I'm back home for a while after a while now. The relief of leaving a place behind, laden with guilt is such a strong emotion and you captured it so well. I'm in awe. Thank you for writing this :)
This is true of wherever and whenever on returns home. The places are different, but it fells the same. Really a master[iece.
Reading your poem transported me to the city where I grew up. Every time I go back, I'm torn between happiness and nostalgia. Things have changed and yet, they feel the same. We carry the DNA of the places where we have lived. Thank you for this fantastic read! A masterpiece.
This was so relatable and very nostalgic! I loved it!
This is now tied with Yellow Wood for my favorite poem of yours. What an evocative time bleed.
Lovely poem ❤️ I lived in Bushwick my first 7 years in the city. This made me kinda nostalgic for my early days living here.
This is great
This is awesome. It reminds me of the times I returned to my home town and was overwhelming swamped with feelings I couldn’t put into words. You, however, did a marvellous job of describing a very similar feeling