The summer rains came and
Darkened the city as the
Muffled chimes rang out.

The clock that sounds like
Home now was an unfamiliar
Sight ten years ago as I stood
In the square for the first time.

Until then I had seen little
Of the city that was to become
My very own. I remembered the
Imposing but unkempt station,
And some brutal post war concrete, but
Had no real knowledge of the place.

*

Through the kitchen window
I heard it as I waited for
My evening meal to be cooked.

It was in my ears as if it were
Right outside, close enough
To touch, tangible so I could
Feel its shape in my tired
Fingers. It enveloped the
Whole city like a blanket.

*

I first met the city in optimism,
But I moved there in terror,
In self loathing. It was
A year of change from which
I have yet to recover.

There is a gap, a small shard
Of emptiness in my heart
That still I cannot fill.

Half my words have gone,
Half the doors won’t open,
But still, somehow, I make it
Through. If you could see
Me now, would you be proud
Of what you achieved?

*

In an instant, I am taken
Back ten years, to a time
Before regret. Part of me
Still wishes I could stay.

06/13/2012

Posted on 07/12/2012
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince