Jack Oliver stops at a gas station,
Near a small, rural town: Elation.
Elation was the town of Jack’s youth,
Where he grew tall, and chipped his tooth.
Where faded memories now lay like aged dirt.

With a sigh, he wonders where it went.
The happiness that now seemed spent.
Now he works a big time job in a big time city.
Where the men sweat while the girls look pretty.
Where the dog eats the dog, and the cat starves.

Wearily looking out, he notes the road sign.
Elation, within walking distance, so says the sign.
While he had a place to be, and a job to be done,
There was time for a quick stop, judging by the sun.
Shrugging his shoulders, he leaves the car behind.

Boot-covered feet trod the beaten road,
Cars pass him by without a care, but to be fair,
He hardly gives a care for himself, and none for them.
On the way there, he reflects on his childhood.
Ups and downs, there were plenty to be recalled.

First loves, fights, and friendships many.
Graduations, grieving, and grinning plenty.
His mother, Catherine, sweet as could be.
His father, Rod, rotten as could be.
His brother, Tommy, no longer with him.

As his mind wandered through the long and winding years,
There is a part of him that cannot fight the tears.
As he begins to wonder what even drew him here,
Seeing the town limits of his hometown, Elation,
His heart is filled with a bittersweet deflation.

For minutes, he simply stands on the cold ground.
And then, it hits him harder than a boxer’s hook,
All memories, good, bad, and horrible, must be
Confronted, and faced where they occurred,
And that to run away was to admit defeat.

Smirking, he shakes his head, and steps forth.
Prepared to meet the town of his youth.
His Elation now 20 years older, but no bigger.
For better or worse, he was prepared.
Prepared to face it, with a new, deeper insight.