He Left Home
He left home,
his family,
his friends,
his dog,
his comfortable childhood bedroom,
his quiet neighborhood street,
his favorite movie poster,
his favorite spoon to cook with,
his favorite couch to watch TV on,
his favorite mug to eat ice cream out of,
his window.
“I remember when you picked out this rug. You were so particular about the way that it felt when you were wearing socks. Not how it felt when you were barefoot, but how it felt while you were wearing socks. It made no sense to me. We went to the store and I was so embarrassed to ask the employees if we could walk on the rugs with socks on. But whatever to make you happy.”
He no longer:
plays baseball outside with his brother
draws pictures on the driveway using chalk
walks to the local park to hang out with his friends
runs on the high school track in the early morning
drives for hours just to listen to music
goes to school
“I hated when you went biking with your friends during the summer. It was always sunny when you asked me if you could go, and the sun always sets so late so I assumed you would be back at a reasonable hour, but without fail you didn’t get back until it was dark. No matter how many times I yelled at you, you still got back whenever you felt like you wanted to.”
Without him there are…
fewer mouths to feed,
fewer clothes to wash,
fewer rooms to clean,
fewer shoes to trip over,
less attitude to deal with,
less yelling in the house,
less disappointment.
“I don’t understand why you feel like you need to live your life so far away from us. Why do I have to cross an ocean in order to get to you? I hate flying. You know that. And you’re the one who decided to leave, so it should be your responsibility to come back here.”
We _______ without him
eat dinner
eat lunch
eat breakfast
go to the movies
get icecream
walk the dog
play games
sit outside
talk
“I have too much going on in front of me, running this household, to remember to call you. I think about you. But if you’re not right in front of my face I don’t have the time to tell you something. That’s what was always going to happen. I’m not going to feel bad for the consequences of your own actions.”
When he comes home…
he resembles himself
but also a stranger.
When he comes home…
he remembers himself
but that person’s a stranger.