you can go home again
if you tell yourself it’s only temporary
see the closed stores and near-empty mall
drive by the century-old high school
be surprised by the changes in old friends
mourn the friends who decided to leave life entirely
buy a Pepsi Zero where the Dairy Queen once stood
say hello to your family inhabiting the local cemetery
refuse to go near the house you grew up in
especially refuse to compare your aspirations to your actual life
take your rental car back to the airport
all the while noticing big Texas skies
plus the pastureland where camels once roamed
