There comes a day
more often than wished
where box upon box gets filled.
Nothing is left behind
except emptiness and memories.

Stuffed, taped, and labeled
it becomes a routine.

A waiting truck holds stacks
of the dingy cardboard cubes
smothered in duck tape.
It becomes a giant jigsaw puzzle
waiting to be solved
at the next destination.

For those who have lived
in the same place their entire life
are lucky.

Same faces
Same friends
Same town

For those like me
who are “lucky”
to have traveled
to different places in the world.

Going from Pennsylvania, to California,
to Michigan, to Australia,
and back again.
We know the drill.

Whether it’s the
East coast,
West coast,
smack dab
in the middle,
or overseas…

The day I see the packed boxes
I know its time
for another short chapter
to send me to somewhere new.
The day has come yet again.