Your first home was a
black sea suspending
you in warmth.

Teased by the other boys,
you said you didn’t
miss her
until it felt true,

made your bed in
broken motels you scorned
the morning after,

and every time you bought a house
you left your oldest boxes
unopened.

At the end you say,
I want to go home.
Your children say
you are home

as you reach
for the dark
of the
only one
you
remember.

# # #

Esther Rohm is fascinated by human beings. She writes poetry, fiction, and fantasy while undercover as an office worker. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she was kidnapped by mischievous sprites and deposited in Ohio where she continues to live. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she has had work featured in Dime Show Review and Silver Birch Press, and is one of 35 authors featured in A Journey of Words (Scout Media, 2016). You can follow her at www.facebook.com/esther.rohm or read her and her husband’s joint blog at www.gypsyhobbit.blogspot.com.

Photo credit: Christina Salomon