I was unaware I had missed you
until I felt my heart pang with longing
as I gazed at your sheltered valley
again for the first time
You nourished my growth
with sunlight and bare feet in endless grass
while keeping me from the cruelties of
concrete grids and glass prisons
One day I got lost in your redwood oasis
and tangled myself in your hair
because I couldn’t imagine living
anywhere else than with you
I was too young to know the world
outside of your gentle exhale
and foolishly took you for granted
as you became a burden with age
I ached to feel excitement beyond
the cautious daylight you offered me
and prepared myself to leave you
without a second hesitation
You howled as I turned away
from everything you had given me
but my sights were on the future
as I moved beyond what you could provide
I never looked back.
We both knew I couldn’t
or the pain would consume us
and we would cripple ourselves
over the heartbreak of leaving the other
One day I would return and bathe
in the refreshing starlight of your hidden sky
to heal the scars that the land of tar and steel
had left upon my sun-kissed skin
I never stopped loving you
I only keep my distance
to save myself from the pain
of leaving you again.