I don’t want to go home.
And face the quiet echoes
Of rooms that once vibrated
With shuffling feet
And a coquette’s laughter
I don’t want to go home
To neatly stacked dishes
And pots as cold
As hoarfrost.
I don’t want to go home
And look at the bed we shared
Night after beautiful night.
Nor crawl between sheets
Become funereal shrouds.
I don’t want to go home
So
I sit by the sea.
Until the blinding mist forces me
Through shadow
In retreat.

About Laurie: The author of Forest Secrets and the soon to be released Finding Joy as well as The Pharaoh’s Cry, Portal Shift, Kidnapped Smile, and Dragon Sky of the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles, Laurie Woodward co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy. Her poetry has been published in multiple journals and anthologies and she was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant, poet, and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes on the Central Coast of California. More about her work can be found at artania.net