you CAN'T go home again

Ode to 277

And then, one day
it was over
How did it happen?
On the market, off the market, on again
A deal offered, accepted
And then, one day
it was over
Your childhood boxed up, labeled, ready to go

Maybe it was easier to say goodbye
To your childhood home
After recently saying goodbye
To your adult home

No, this is different
Isn't it?
This was the place you grew up in
The place they bought when you were born

The place of backyard games
Family get-togethers
School buddies coming over to play
And birthday parties

The place of endless hours of schoolwork
Studying, studying, studying
Of fights had, tears shed
Of disappointment, rejection, and imperfection

The place of triumphs won
Of school acceptances, job offers, engagements, births

In short, the place of life happening, unfolding, changing

The place that was filled with the sound of adolescence
Of four kids under one roof
The place that became more silent
When they left for college
And it was just you

It was the place you wanted to flee from as a teenager
And the place you longed to return to later as an adult

The place that you eventually associated solely with the holidays
Because that's the only time you were home
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on the television
The scent of Mom's home cooking waking you up

It was the place your parents created
It was a home
The embodiment of a family

And like your family, it wasn't perfect
But all the imperfections, complexities, joys and sorrows
Went into creating the home
Into creating your family
And it was yours
And it made you who you are

No, you can't go home again
There will be new owners after all
And it would be
Considered trespassing

But you can't forget
What you had
Where you were
And how 277 was your home.