Having just gone home for Thanksgiving break, after the longest time that I have been away -- just over a month and a half, I saw my town in somewhat of a different way. Things that I previously took for granted, or ignored, appeared much more mesmerizing. It's not even that these places are grand or extravagant, but being in a new environment, constantly being exposed to new street signs and buildings, and then coming back to a place of familiarity makes you appreciate the littlest patches of graffiti or the spots doused with local mythology. Memories began to from my childhood. I thought about this past summer, and going to a local breakfast spot with friends before heading to the beach for the day, and how special that place is to me. Then I thought about the beach, and experiencing that new environment. It's the way that certain scenes, whether they be a warm, inviting local restaurant, or a serene beach an hour away, captivate you in a way that makes you feel like you are a kid again, or that you are experiencing wonder for the first time -- over and over again. I wrote this poem recognizing that feeling in your stomach that you are witnessing a place in time that is a culmination of history and its fingerprints, yet that it is one that will never be the same again. The world has so much to offer and teach us. It is completely unique to your eyes. Not only does a brand new place give me this feeling, home does now too. I think that's important -- to be able to recognize beauty in the now, wherever you may be.

a moment of time

it is as if your skull is emptied

drained into your stomach,
and now,
is all you know.

the sky teaches you color again
the breeze teaches you the smell of existence
the sea mist teaches you calamity and calm
and you’re learning how to learn

as time grabs your hand
pulls you away to nomore and evermore
you let go
and fall into now