I Am Home
As the quilt of Alberta comes into view
I’m thinking about them
and I’m thinking about you
And the ways I could change and
become someone new
While the wings of the plane tilt for landing
I already miss it, the sagebrush, the heat
The loud breathless laughter
The ache in my feet
The splintering benches
The sheltering pines
The late nights, the mornings spent waiting in line
The tables of strangers becoming new friends
The starting all over, the way we all bend
To the song of the holy, the high elevation
The fade of the city, the soft celebration
Of voices in unison circling the floor
voices in unison asking for more
Voices in unison
Voices
I feel my ears pop
The pressure is building
There’s a fog in the distance
It’s cold in the cabin
The sunset looks paler
I’m about to reenter
The wheels bash the tarmac
Racing towards
Bills,
Repairs
Meals
Monday morning
The long hard surrender
But when the sliding glass opens
My wife is waiting
Her eyes alive as sunsets
Wide as prairies
I am home