the town that raised me
By: Patty Brown
Tags: Hometown, Words, Artist, Home, Poetry

i wandered down

the streets i knew

i had walked them

many times before

each intricately drawn

inside my head

from many moons ago

in the darkness

shops were closed

and dinners done

the town essentially

belonged to me

a winter’s night

with streets aglow

pretty bows

window stories

and lovely trees

adorned with

giant lighted balls

the perfect christmas charm

so strange

it felt like yesterday

i stood in this exact same spot

a serendipitous awe

of christmas magic

to share with all

the folks i loved in this town

the only home i knew

lost hearts were found

most hearts full

all abound

in everyone whose eyes met mine

as we gazed up to the sky

with a childlike wondering eye

christmas time

i am a stranger now

no one knows

who i am

or where i've been

or in this moment

my reasons why

so i took a deep breath

and exhaled a long sigh

i took my time

i visualized the ghosts

i knew

and what was here

and over there

what has changed

and what remained

much the same inside the frame

of years before

a canvas of what used to be

and what is now

i could see the outline

of foggy faces

behind familiar doors

the ghosts that built my life

i take a knee

for now

in old buildings graced

with years

of joy

much strife

the mystery of life

everything now so quiet

i could cut the air

with a butter knife

except for the occasional siren

covid

i presume

maskless in the night

but in my pocket

if in the moment

it is right

my daddy would adjust his glasses

shake his head

look down at the ground

love the people in this town

i shake my head

to agree

the canopy of trees

now drapes over streets

named for

heroes

the lores of war

would bow to now

a sad complacency

footprints to glory

rewind to tears

immense heartbreak

the history of the years

i peeked into jc penny's

empty now

the water fountains

gone

no white

no colored

just a human

way to be

the image always bothered me

as a little girl

i asked my mother why

her answers never pacified

but true and taught me well

amazing what i grew to be

justly

trustful

honestly

beyond words

the light

still beckons me

by the heart

as they twinkle all around

this december eve

i see my parents

walking into loys

oscar says

hello mal what do you need

they smile and laugh

then fade to gray

the times were simple

connection was hello

how are you today

no thank you

and please

but not today

we complicate

which way to grow

divided in our misery

a lack of grace

a haunted morose

a tinge of gray

the world

without missing a note

continues its perfect graceful turn

as some lives begin

and other lives

come to a close

a siren screams

blurs quickly by

again

i watch it pass me by

is it someone i know

from yesterday

or someone i’ve never met

so many ghosts still remain

in the midst of who i am

those i loved

meander by

on the streets

i once called home

it always is

a long goodbye

when it’s time for me to finally go

but none the less

on this winter’s eve

i leave a part of me

in the alley by the door

where vines are growing

everywhere

— patty

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest.