return
it feels like getting
a part of me back
maybe it’s nothing
to most — maybe it’s small
but in the depths
of utter chaos — in the stark tragedy of loss
the return of something small
no matter how mundane
no matter how simple
no matter how trivial
— it’s everything
it’s the reprisal of some dignity
the revival of skill
the sensation of being useful again
a return to belonging
a return to familiarity
a return to some kind of
home
because now I know, I was not cast out
I was not forgotten
the people have heard
the many have seen
they’ve recognized what I am
and what I mean
yes, this return may be small
but for someone nearly gone
it…is…everything
Franco Amati 2021
Thank you to Kyle Johnson. His photos capture certain moods so nicely. They elevate the mundane in a way that is pretty remarkable. Keep snapping those pictures, man. I think I can write a poem for every one of them.
