Ramona Park

for my motherI can imaginein a place like thistime could feel like waterstopped up at one endallowed to pool and swirlcalm and cool and a little soothingwhile you float in itsteep in itinfuse yourself into this place

and let it soak into you

I can only imagine, though–

no place ever belonged to me

(at least, not like here belongs to you)

not in the way that places belong

to children “born and raised” there

given for years of moments

idle and not

endless opportunities to return

and revisit until

every inch is known by heart

I can imagine

it must once have seemed

this place was full of forever

until the one thing that you never knew

was holding it all together

broke

and time came rushing through

washing away the anchors of memory

that held you still

and made a city street just disappear

please only reprint in entirety and with credit given

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