Draft of recent poem

THESE PLACES, THOSE PLACES

Standing in the shadows and sun and air of this place
serene and contemplating all that is here
Where I belong and thrive
As I did in the other places as well
Relaxed beside the lake,
bending into the cold winds with the ocean tides moving in,
or weaving among the throngs down the concrete lanes
past the windows with the stories like flickering candles shining through
and voices and eyes beckoning and sending signals
In those places
where I somehow came and put down long roots
Belonging like the trees and sky and fog and rocks lying there forever
And persistently scratching down a mark or two
barely legible and oh so fragile
as history marches on and
does what it can to sweep away any traces.
Then one day had to leave
from these places
Quiet as a sigh
nervously aiming for the next place it would be.

Renton, Washington 

February 23, 2018