Left To Wander

Alone

in my boyhood

the adult awaits

impatient indulgence

the year growing late

The woods

and the forest

refuse to let go

my spirit within them

the man to forego

Parents

and teachers

left counting the days

as wonder and whimsy

hold on and delay

The moment

I falter

the day that I fall

that boy left to wander

— where time never calls

(Dreamsleep: January, 2024)