Rheinstein Windmill House Overlooking Ditch Plains in Montauk, NY ~Ben Kasazkow
Prodigal
by Howard Osborne
Ahead of me, the cold gray ocean stretching Eastward
Behind me, this land that my forefathers once settled
Above me is the sky, with its blanket of winter clouds
Here I stand and see the very home that offers identity
A place in which I was born, grew as a man, then left
But now, like the prodigal son, I have finally returned
Perhaps nothing here will now be recognisable to me
Merely sporadic letters exchanged over all these years
Yet it can never be anything but home, my true home
I was only a hundred miles west, working in the City
That filled every waking hour with a new experience
But now it has been two decades away, and I return
In shame, that I missed my father’s ashes scattered
Yet overjoyed seeing that my mother can smile again
This property feels so empty now, and so I shall stay
Long Island, with its secrets and that special welcome
At least for me, soon to be alone in this magical spot
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