Lost,
he was for a long, long time
never stopping to ask
where am I?

Visiting locales covering
a broad expanse
he kept moving, moving
compiling souvenirs
at every turn
things he wanted,
had to have

insatiable
was his appetite
something to
bring home, knowing
the kids would ask, “Father
would did you bring us?”

He did not wish
to disappoint

But the longer
he stayed away, the more
his collections
and the urge to feed it
outgrew his resources,
the ability to
lug it all around

returning home
he was greeted warmly
the kids had
long ago stopped caring
about the gifts,
trinkets
they were glad to
have him home

yet he needed to share
what had become
so precious
all consuming
and he saw in an
instant how
wrong he had been

“We never wanted
an empire”
they all concurred, adding
to his immense surprise,
“We just wanted you,
at home,
daddy.”

– Mark L. Lucker
© 2017
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