Going Home in Seven Steps One:
Wait Twenty-two Years
Two:
Go First Class
Three:
Hit All the Old Haunts
Four:
Knock on the Door of the House Where You Lived
Five:
Accept Life’s Gifts
Six:
Ferret out the Pain
Seven:
Trust Yourself
So, he had what he’d envisioned: a list for someone returning to their roots; possibly a poem. It wasn’t a great poem, but it certainly fit the origin of the word, the Greek word poēma, something made. He would show the Steps to his writing group—maybe they’d have him leave off the first column, who knows? If they liked it, he might send it off to a journal or two—you never knew what might spark an editor’s interest. More importantly, he asked himself, had the journey been worthwhile? Revisiting the old pains and lost love, he felt lighter. A little less burdened by his past. He was glad he’d taken every step. Well, except the first one—he’d probably waited too long.
Kevin Arnold is a poet, teacher, and fiction writer from Palo Alto, Ca. He has published in fifty literary magazines, has a book of poems. This story is woven into his novel, The Sureness of Horses. His poems have been featured six times on YourDailyPoem.com. He served as President, Poetry Center San Jose, 2000-2012. In the last six months, he’s been published in Slippery Elm; Fresh Hot Bread; Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate; and Fault Line. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Jose State University, 2007. Based on a story extracted from one of his novels, the San Francisco / Peninsula California Writer’s Club named him Writer of the Year. See KevinArnoldAuthor.com.
Issue 14 | Blue Mountain Review | 61