Still

In the midst of infinity
Lies an island of memory
Standing quiet in time.

The waves are standing still,
Black clouds on the horizon,
Frozen in their galloping,
Waiting.

Dust suspended,
Trapped in a sunbeam, still,
And the dogs still barking,
Echoing in the red mountain,
And the stars calling me still
To a place yet unknown.

I'm coming back today.
Years have passed through me,
History and rust in my tongue,
But this place seems to be
Forever remaining still.

But as I reach these shores,
Familiar and unmovable,
Fear shrinks my heart,
So suddenly…
And makes me gasp for air.

What if I have changed so much
I'm unrecognizable
To even myself?

But then I feel the wind
Pushing me once more,
Relentless, impatient,

Welcoming me back to black clouds,
And the sand soft,
And the sun warm,
And the arms wide open.

And I accept that I'm back home
As a different me,
Who has never been here before,
And I kneel and whisper
To this once-known, faintly gleaming soil,

"I remember you
Still."