First Break

Looking out the window
one sees,
one senses how much times
around here have changed
since the last visit:

new paint on the walls, new carpet
& with it new tiles on the floor...
oh, if only they could see
from outside these walls
just how much
a life can change
after one or two years leave.

To some, I am a fresh face,
a newcomer on the scene -
who am I? where am I from?
Still others, though they know
my name & have heard
about my accomplishments,
remain in wonderment
as if they haven't heard
the whole story about me so far.
"How are you faring?"

Others see my face
& in an instant the whole room
lights up (if only for a short while):
they take what time they can spare
& it's just like old times all over again -
we're talking about not only
the glory days I know too well
but also the here & now;
I've still got lots of catching up
to do, it seems.

When all is said & done,
my departure will not be made in haste;
my exit will not be done with fanfare either.
I will say my piece humbly,
knowing that this meeting
after such a lenghty hiatus
was worth everyone's time
& not just mine alone.

Looking out the window
once more one sees,
one knows that a beacon light
always is shining with each of us
& it refuses to be snuffed out.
I am one of those beacon lights,
leading the way when all seems lost,
in an otherwise dark time.
And for that my arrival -
the very premise for why
I returned to this room -
can never be discounted.