Ralph drove me in to the city
It wasn’t until we were crossing the GWB
That it hit me I was actually moving back to the city
It made me gasp out loud
Ralph laughed -
“I can hear your brain whirring.”

There’s a huge tree outside my window
It’s almost like I‘m in a tree house
My prayer flags are up
They’ve been with me since I moved out of home
In my early twenties
Nearly two decades ago

I didn’t have lunch until nearly 3
I went exploring
The activity and plethora of food options
Within a fifteen minute radius of my apartment
Is incredible
After the quiet of Carteret
It feels like culture shock

It turns out Tonya and Jason live a few blocks away
I went to the park with Tonya and the kids
And then we went back to their place
And while the eldest built train tracks across the floor
I fed the youngest his bottle
How long has it been since I fed a baby their bottle?!

I unpacked all my clothes
Made the bed
Found my uniform for tomorrow
I still have to figure out the kitchen
And unpack my books

I miss Aaron
I miss Voltaire
I feel like I must be on some kind of strange vacation
And soon I’ll be back with my boys

For now, I am here and
Here I am.