Returning Home
- for Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram
As all children do
he returns home as an adult
suitcase heavy with decisions
not from the past
but for the future
The porch light welcomes him
shadows move behind pulled curtains
He is not ready to open the door
so he sets the suitcase down on the steps
and walks to the end of the driveway
where the night sky is clear
He ponders if the constellations know their names
He wonders if anyone is gazing at the light shining from his home
For a moment he feels like a little boy again
wrapped in his mom’s arms
playing ball on the driveway
hearing his parents say they love him
A shooting star breaks across his vision
His head is flooded with a thousand shining moments
a galaxy of life
he begins to name the constellations
forming in his heart
He stands up
mumbling words of poetry
sending them out to the universe
to let them find their way
between the stars
He smiles
as he turns to see
that the door is open
