For me

I smell Spring

Bouncing down the stairs

That I once crawled up on all fours

Chlorine stings the bursting red hills

From summer bug bites

I scratched too hard

The screen door wobbles

As I shut it behind me

Shaking angrily at my shove

Don’t slam it!

The voice that shaped me

Waltzes across the kitchen

The iced tea sweats heavily

Droplets race from my finger pads

Down my wrist

Coaster!

The hardwood floors

Remember my feet

They want to reminisce

Scratches, stains, creaks

Some are my fault

I curl my toes

Give them a hug

My stomach plummets

As I lay back

The recliner, that old trickster

But he never lets me fall

The junk drawer laughs evilly

Hiding my favorite pen

Under piles of crinkly notes,

Expired gift cards

But I outsmart him

Digging through his chaos

Confident, triumphant

My old bed whines

As I settle in to sleep

She says I’ve gotten taller

I bunch my fists around her

Covering myself, twisting

The silence sings me a lullaby

Through my dusty window

Making my eyes go heavy

My shoulders slacken

My pillow sighs

Curving to my head,

Accepting my return

Reminding me

I am always

Welcomed

Here.