a big old plantation house
or a drafty shack over the bayou
your home

before you set out
visit every corner to behold
what all not to miss
what all to forget

it’s your home you’re leaving behind
never to return

don’t wave good-bye
don’t talk to anyone
glide away

J.S. O’Keefe has published over three hundred short stories and poems in print and online literary magazines. See more at szjohnny.net.