Let's Take The Long Way Back

let’s take the long way back

beneath shaded oak and aromatic pine

athwart the weathered split-rail fence

bent into the warp and woof of nature’s wiles

past the old place

with its long front porch

and massive beams holding memories

of laughter and dancing feet

in moonlit rooms resonating with sounds of

family and friends fading now

as we roll past the giant willow

bending shade into the shape of long afternoons

drawing water from the well

with the fresh coppery taste

so light and cool on a summer afternoon

we glide into the blue-amber glow

of the western penumbra spread long and wide

with faint lights glimmering in the valley below

melding light and shadow into night

as we drift on wheels crunching gravel

like popcorn between our teeth

the hour is right in its time

and all that might have been

trailed behind and lost the way

back to what we remember

of days that are no more