It is less about roots than about
What you grow from them;
It is more about what is visible
To the world than about
What is hidden underground.

Proximity to a border can
Make you more aware of
Which side is yours. Somehow,
The more visible boundaries –
Estuary, sea, hills – feel less
Severe, less like barriers to
Your long planned escape.

May the wider world be kinder
Once you find a way to get out
Of the small town that cages
Your wanderlusting heart.
May the darkness behind the
Colours be rooted in memory
Rather than survival.

From shadowed roots can grow
Beauty; from withered roots
Can grow joy. From your roots
Can grow the you that you were
Always meant to be, your open heart
Overflowing, at last, with life.

06/01/2019

Posted on 06/05/2019
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince