Return from Odyssey

Return from Odyssey

I walked again today
along a familiar way.
The sights were all the same,
only my mood has changed.

An old friend came driving by
offering me a ride.
I declined with a smile.
"I need to feel my feet" was all I said.

It is a fine thing to return to a place
that long ago was your home.
The sights are mainly the same,
but my mood has changed.

Some bushes have grown taller.
Some trees older than I have fallen.
By storm or saw, it matters not how.
It will take more time than I have for them to grow back, now.

The children that used to play
have almost all grown and gone away.
I am one of those
whose home is no longer my parent's house.

But, whenever my feelings turn foul
I tend to return to my ancient sod
to feel my feet beneath me,
and my mood never fails to change.