The Arbor

IN THE DARK, I walked like a secret into the backyard of my old house.
I walked along the hedges and as I looked at the ground I felt as though it was still my backyard.
I stood in the place where the garden of my mother's hands grew.
Now I was standing in only grass.
I hid behind the large oak tree and peeked out at the house.
The air was like a cool summer breath and a symphony of crickets played the soundtrack of my past.
I stood behind that tree and stared.
It is not my home now.
It is not my house.
Those are not my things.
But as I looked to the right, I noticed the white Arbor.
It used to stand along the side of the garden, attached to a white fence
that led the way into the garden.
Now it was awkwardly standing alone there in the back of the house, a part of nothing.
So I sighed and turned and slipped back into the dark and walked home.
To my home.
To my parents.
To my dogs.
To my future.