Homecoming

I stand transfixed,

Surrounded by stones,

Gazing at your name

Etched in marble.

I didn’t expect to see you here.

Yes, I knew you were gone,

That you had taken that final journey.

But life took us far from this village.

I didn’t expect you would return

To the company of those we knew back when.

My tear-filled eyes move away from your resting spot

To those that surround you.

Our grade three teacher, the choir director,

An infant son who only lived one day.

Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins,

Both yours and mine.

School mates and neighbours.

I read their names and feel their presence,

Familiar faces flashing through my mind.

Overwhelmed with the memories

I realize

That this is indeed home.