In this town, I have been
So many different people,
Changing imperceptibly as the town
Itself changed. But now I have
Been away, I can see the difference,
And it feels like I, and this town,
Have changed for the first time
In my life.

While I have come to know
And trust myself, I have
Lost touch with, and faith in,
This town. I have stopped seeing
Its individuality, and begun to
Regard it as just another
Hideous town I wouldn't miss
If it were to be taken away.

Perhaps if I look for the
Quirks, the character that
Used to enable me to see
This town as one of a kind,
I will begin to regard it
More favourably.

If I do, I may not regain
That feeling I always had
That this town would
Protect me, as long as I was
Within its boundaries.

I always used to laugh at
All those people I knew
Who were so determined to
Leave this town as soon
As possible, thinking that
Nowhere would be any
Better for them. But now
I have become one of them,
A caged bird that needs
To find a distant sky
In which to sing my song.

08/26/2004

Posted on 08/26/2004
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince