homecoming

i want to come home
just to show it off.
i want to drive around
and point to landmarks in my head,
like the parking lot we went to
when we skipped youth group
and sat in a circle,
burning leaves, breathing in,
feeling and talking and knowing
far more than a speaker could ever tell us.
the diner where we left our secrets
on the table, next to french fries.

i want to come home,
bring a friend with me.
go back through the places
that made me who i am.
their houses, their basements,
their rooms and backyards.
firepits and back seats of cars.

i want to show you off.
put you on display.
like a trophy i never deserved,
that i found while i was lost.
when i say i want to come home,
i want to feel that feeling
of growing next to you.