James Thomas Hazard
It’s been said
By words simple enough
To know when the meaning of words
Is still unfolding,
That home is only once
And then a memory
But once
Is the steady rhythm of waves
Lapping at our feet,
Wind in the hollow of trees
Like children cupping water
In their hands
Is there something more to have
When all we have is left unpacked
In rooms by roads no traveler takes?
There will be language, yes,
From a curve of sand to a circle of ice,
In the magnetic air
That guides us to land
Love in the way we carry
Our inheritance to fruition,
Taking more time to care for the young
Than is needed
Peace in the ease of shadow and light
War in the will to survive
Meaning and purpose
In the ever-receding foundation of mountains,
In the way clouds always
Remind us of something
No cloud ever was
Then for the first time ever,
With fear and delight,
Leaving home