Sojourn

A Poem by fugitive

collection of random thoughts and remembrances...

from the deep green canopy of the sprawling oak
the home of my youth into my vision is thrust
'neath the oak i tarry lest a sojourn evoke
bittersweet memories, yet sojourn i must
standing now before the old gate unhinged
hanging askew from one rusty hook
the white fence now faded by seasons winds
still compasses round the home i forsook
stepping onto the porch from a creaking stairstep
my memory floods with yesterdays
when burdens were light and a youth seldom wept
as carefree pursuits kept such burdens away
peering in at a window now boarded and broken
i behold by the dim of a few morning rays
my heart groaning sore at the image so sullen
this place of my youth, of happier days
the old cherrywood clock with it's pleasant chime
has surrendered it's place to cobwebs and dust
as the mantle that held it in earlier times
as if whisked away by a southerly gust
a light breeze carresses me all the while i peer
past the cracked, grey drab of the weatherworn sash
at a now lifeless room without picture or mirror
a piercing remender of how quickly times pass
then turning aside I depart at last
stepping down from the porch, empty and forlorn
through the sad picket gate no longer held fast
I blink back a tear and end my sojourn