the setting sun

burns deeply

into the darkest recesses

squinting at what lies before

sinuous curves cutting into the dry earth

unravelling before me

terrain is familiar

but I’m a stranger

in an unchanged world

taking the long way home



the road less travelled

carries more traffic than usual

familiar faces

are now obscured/unrecognisable

commonality destroyed

rapid lips firing soundless

machine gun bursts of polemic

 I neither see, hear or understand



don't cry no more

cause soon it’s morning

finally

it dawned on me

I don’t have to travel

very far,

or at all

to get home 

© 2017 michael d emmerich