Longing For Water

I had a wonderful childhood. We lived in a sprawling city that was always bustling with sights and sounds and smells even into the night. When school was out though I spent the summer living in the village where my parents grew up. Everyone knew everyone there, and a child could walk safely from one end of the village to the end and be watched by relatives or friends the entire way. So it was like a rite of passage when I was allowed to walk home by myself after staying for supper at an auntie’s house. Even if it was less than a hundred meters, I still remember the full moon lighting my way and the pride in my chest. A magical memory…

full moon in August
but i can no longer walk –
to Grandfather’s house