Native paths to foreign places.

We often say we take two steps forward and one step back
But really it seems like in life we only move forward
And look back over our shoulder
More times than we need to.

Stepping out of an old friend's house today
Made me appreciate the freedom to walk home,
To walk anywhere.
Growing up we never really needed to drive somewhere
To reach a familiar face
Or drop by the home of someone who'd take care of you.

The air weighed heavy with moisture,
Rubbing against the summer
That hung overhead.
My body brushed through the barbecue perfume
Coming from one of the houses down the street,
And I crossed the road past my elementary school
Whose inner dwelling was more comforting
Than the ghostly walls that stood before my eyes
In the middle of its off-season.

Francis Lewis Boulevard didn't discriminate who she'd let pass
Of her border between Bayside and Fresh Meadows
Or the other way around -
She'd only warn you to look both ways and be careful.

Water tickled my legs as a sprinkler waved hello,
Lifting a bit of summer's burden as I passed right through,
And a nostalgic helicopter leaf propelled its way
Down
To the ground below me.

Some streets seemed abandoned
While others had an occasional smattering of people
Watering their grass.
They were strangers to me,
But they seemed almost like strangers to each other.

Along the familiar path
I glimpsed into someone's backyard
And spotted an unfamiliar hammock,
And I nearly stopped.

A hammock would be nice.
Yes, a homemade one.
I don't know how to make one,
But I'm sure it can be done.

This started spinning a dream 

Of a life with neighbors passing through

Coming in and out,

And a homemade hammock sitting between two trees,

With evenings at dusk spent crafting

New things

New worlds

New ideas

With people who were learning how to deeply care for one another

Sharing stories

Sharing hearts

Sharing dreams

With endless invitations for new people to become new neighbors.

This is the world you are called to create

Wherever this is,

Whatever it looks like,

This is where you are called to be.

My path grew more and more familiar

With every step and every turn,

And I knew where I was going

But my mind felt like I was going the wrong way,

As though this familiar life was telling me to leave it be

And take all of its memories like seeds

And plant them somewhere else,

Somewhere else that isn't here.

Let someone else grow their branches here

Deepen their roots here

But this familiar life was telling me to leave it be - 

You are called to branch out somewhere else.

And as I pulled out the ordinary key
To the house I'd always known,
And Mom swings opens the door before I even touch the knob
To the home I'd somehow outgrown,
I rush into my haven,
Excited that I had met some inspiration
To nourish my craving
To write.