Far from here,
a child smiles.
A warm dog stretches at his master's feet.
An exhausted man breathes in the vision of a task complete.
Far from here,
a flower blooms,
home at last, a lost soldier finds his way,
slowly, a burning sun sets to end a glistening summer's day.
Far from here,
warm bread cools;
a restless mind now comforted, finds sleep,
and a tarnished gold ring, once lost, resurfaces from the deep.
But here,
a door closes;
a mighty wing, once beating, now breaks.
A distant, joyful memory flickers one last time, then fades.
And here,
a tired back bends.
A cry goes unheard, too far from home,
and a quiet woman in a sea of diners, dines alone.
Here,
a dense night falls.
A dream is eaten alive, and will never be;
a man shares an upstairs room with cigarettes and memories.
Far from here,
a foamy wave playfully grabs
at the feet
of a father and his son.
While here,
a gray train sails cold steel rails,
disappearing
with the dying autumn sun.