Departing Roots

that land

once home,

now foreign to me

these people

once friends,

now strangers I’ll see

these roads

keep changing—

the person I’ll be

the girl they knew

has quietly abandoned me

for better or worse

here I now stand

heart on my sleeve,

tears in my hands

eyes opened,

heart yearning

for the world on display

those valleys,

these mountains—

he couldn’t say “stay”

those dreams,

these visions—

here I will lay

this island has changed me,

but I cannot remain

- Kaila Lili Topp