new corners

Nobody talks about what happens when you outgrow your corner of the world;

When the edges become sharp and jagged;

When one day it fit like your favorite cozy sweater

And the next day the tag is itchy and the sleeves are too short.

Nobody tells you that one day

You wake up and you’re 22

And mom and dad's house is 678 miles away and

When you arrive the smell is different than it used to be,

Now a bit like pine when it once was cedar,

And you realize you don’t remember what cupboard

The cups go into.

Nobody tells you what it will be like

Running into that old friend who

Broke curfew with you to

Swim in silky midnight waters

When you were 16 -

And fighting to remember who you were

When you knew them.

You won’t be prepared for how good it will feel when they remind you.

You won’t realize how hard it will be to say goodbye.

One day you will pack up again -

You’ll say goodbye to your College roommates,

4 years full of memories slung over your back.

You’ll walk down the main street of campus with

No compass or map.

You realize that you can’t remember the name

Of the girls who lived in the room next to you

Freshman year,

And the shininess of a college campus

Is now rusted out from years of misuse.

You’ll head out,

Another 678 miles from mom and dad’s house,

To find a new corner -

Your own.