Come Back

2017

It takes no sweat to see the longing that lingers in your eyes and the heavy restlessness that resides on your shoulder.

You stare far into the open sky, eyes following the white trail the plane leaves on its flight. Then, and only after you’ve accepted that you are stuck on earth, you shift your gaze and stare at the calm water of the sea.

The way you unconsciously let a sigh escape between your lips, it makes me pause and wonder of the world you saw beyond the edges, the beauty you found in your journey.

Come back, Palas Athena, I want to call out. This is home, were you belong. Don’t you like it here, if only a bit?

The words die in my throat because I understand, in the end, the constant craving. You long for the gems you’ve discovered the same way I yearn for your attention.

So I wait, and the fog in your eyes clears when laughter reaches your ears. Your smile that speaks volume is heart-wrenching to see, but you get up and join us mortals, if only because you may leave again soon and you owe us that much.

When you leave again, the joy on your face will be worth the pain that you leave us in your wake.

This is a nest, after all, and not a cage (that binds us all).