Saturday, January 02, 2010

Feeling 'Home'

Stepping out of the airport into -30 air
lungs freezing, burning, freezing

This is Winnipeg

sitting in the back of my parents' Impala which has driven me from one side of the city to the other
watching the cold bobble-headed pig slide across the dash

This is the Winnipeg I know

watching through the frosted window, familiar scenes with subtle shifts
arriving home, entering a house filled with memories
and doilies
sleeping on a daybed, steps away from the room where I spent so many years.

This is the Winnipeg I know, but it's different

visiting
seeing friends
meeting acquaintances
spending time with remnants of a past

This is the Winnipeg I knew, but it's different, distant

Stepping out of the airport into rain-scented air
arms and back aching with the weight of luggage
carrying an old life into a new city,
little by little

This is a city I barely know, but it's familiar, closer

sitting on a bus, like a direct road to home
bags feeling lighter as the key unlocks the door
here I am

This is the city I know.

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