This day came in like a storm.
I could see it for miles,
but when at last it crept over my head,
the rain shocked my skin--
slowly at first, a light mist of anxiousness,
then all at once, an oppressive
downpour of nostalgia.

I stand barefoot on the pavement
breathing in wet asphalt
through my lungs
exhaling my fears
slow and controlled

holding back bitterness.

The last cardboard box
is strapped into the massive truck,
and the engine comes to life.
I take a final glance back
at my childhood memories
and the building that housed them.

I will find my new beginning
because in this life,
permanence does not exist.
There is only forward
and always a new storm to weather.