This road I walk, n'er a change seen,
in the twenty years since I walked here last.
Heat blisters on the surface;
Smells of tar, bitter and pungent
smother me in nastalgia.
Two girls, of like age and looks
holding hands, picking buttercups and violets,
finding four-leaf clovers amongst the honeybees and crickets.
Brown as nuts in mid-summer sun,
heads together, thoughts and hearts in harmony.
At a distance, all seems unchanged;
but I see signs of ware.
Patched holes, cracks, worn edges and faded paint,
an illusion of constants is all which remains.
Childhood fades and lives change;
New houses line the country road.
Fields of wildflower and clover
tamed into well kept yards and gardens but--
If I squint just a bit, I see two sisters,
running through overgrown fields;
Laughing and playing, whispering secrets,
catching lightning bugs near dusk
Hearts and thoughts forever in harmony.
By: Graci