Where I grew up

Where i grew up Where i grew up the sidewalk knew me Where i grew up the road knew me Where i grew up the neighborhood greeted me Where i grew up the walls absorbed the laughter Where i grew up the smell of my favorite meal filled the house Where i grew up the creek of the door that still knew me Where i grew up when the warm stove that fed me Where i grew up the winter or summer, that house held me tight in no matter what Where i grew up were joy was made Where i grew up where my root started Where i grew up The seasons changed, the years ran on, Where i grew up The yard where summer stretched so wide, barefoot races, grass-stained knees, chalky skies on cracked sidewalks, fireflies waltzing in the breeze, Where i grew up i chased the road, not knowing where it would lead me Where i grew up that house never faded from my mind. For home is not in wood or stone, nor in the rooms where time stands still— it lives in hearts, in memory’s grasp, in moments that the soul can fill. Home is a place you cannot lose, a fire that always burns inside, a map that leads you back again to where your heart and love reside.