sequence

I left in autumn

when already the leaves

were becoming weary

their colour drained away

heavy

like my heart

for the uncertain months

that lurked ahead

I went to a place

that lacked the clarity

of the subtle shifts

that lay in the air

back home

I arrived in late summer

hot til November

when we collided 

head on into winter

the snows were unforgiving

trapped inside for days

I thought of home

and my parents fireplace

around which the family

would be gathering

without me

summer came back

out of nowhere

surprising us again

hiding behind my layers

modesty first

I became fevered

by the change of weather

now I am home again

and as the rain pours on

relentless

so the waters rise

up to my neck

I am trapped 

in a 2 bed semi-detached

my memories floating away

with a depressed father

who has forgotten his wife 

and me somewhere

in Dreamtime 

slowly drowning

and all I can think of

the thought that pervades 

my mind endlessly

how did everyone become

so old

that it took just a year away

to notice the clock moving