Home

“Where is your home?”

I pause.

In many places

I have found myself sleeping

eating

breathing

passing my days.

Is that home?

For me

Home is tucked in between

Thickets of brush and forest

Owls calling, fireflies guiding

Sweet honeysuckle countryside.

Then again

Home is busy roads

Warm, leather-scented

Car rides at dusk

Chattering neighbors

Never feeling alone in an empty house.

Most of all

Home is feeling understood

Shedding the course skin

That protects you all day

Honest and serene

Peaceful.

Sometimes

Most times

Home is not a place at all.

In that case

I reply.

“He’s right over there.”