What it means to me...

What it is to be sitting here with you,

This, this is my refuge,

A true sense of security that I feel in your arms,

With no fear of harm, or raising any alarm,

Absolutely no need to pretend or perform,

Where I can hideout from any storm,

A simple space of safety for me,

To have the ability to simply just be,

Though it is not always what someone can provide,

But rather the tranquility that comes from sitting lakeside,

The sanctuary that we each can create,

Or the back porch couches can encapsulate,

The preparation of an electric blanket before bed,

That helps to soothe my troublesome head,

It is in the simplest of locales,

And how they can be so valuable to my morale.

The final leg of your return flights,

When that last touchdown is in sight,

When you’ve spent the year cross country and abroad,

The arrival at your home town airport is your reward,

No matter the distance, no matter how far,

There is nothing that even comes close to par,

Even on a short business trip that had you living out of your briefcase,

There truly is no substitute for your home base.

Sitting down to dinner with your family,

Either by blood or those grown from your friendship tree,

The taste of Mum’s homemade apple crumble,

And the way your siblings always seem grumble,

Memories forged and many more to be made,

The highs and the lows of life discussed and kindness displayed,

Though we may not always see eye to eye,

I know that when I need them they’re always right by my side.

When you have seen that friend in years,

You sit down to catch up over a couple of beers,

No time has passed though you have such different careers,

You pick up from the same page,

Finding out that now they’re engaged!

Enjoying their life and making a pretty good wage,

You reminisce about the good ol’ days,

It comes times part ways,

And make plans to catch up again in the coming days,

Even if life may cause some delays.

Home for me is not a single place,

Or a specific space,

But rather, within all my most cherished memories it is interlaced,

When you’ve had the day from hell,

Your eyes involuntarily begin to swell,

An emotion that only your partner can quell,

An experience that your Mum can provide perspective on,

Those integral to our lives who we depend upon,

People, places, experiences and things that we can learn so much from.