New Jersey Bound

A poem I wrote as I was thinking about going home to my birthplace, for the first time in twenty years. I took this trip in 2006.


New Jersey Bound

‘you can never return home’
my birthplace - never fitted in
mentally always alone
twenty years I haven’t walk
on that ground
but I head back…
spiritually sound

no longer needing approval
no longer seeking forgiveness
I’ve come to far to be shamed
into the roles of my past
I’m not entitled to live
with my mistakes
they were choices I made
and learned from

jersey bound
my roots and family
but this vacation won’t be judged
on the acceptance I receive
I’ve been building a bridge
for over 20 years,
yet on the other side
nothing happens

the past has been acknowledged
the past has been relived
the past… is now… past
through work and acceptance
it’s been buried…
with no bitterness
the future will hold regrets
but no shame…
no shame…