I will never stand there

again.
I will never walk the streets with the Biblical names
again.
I will never silently go by the old schools
again.
I will never see that tired little city in the dirty winter
again.
I will never see the old green-sided house where she made her last refuge
again.
I will never see the lake from the top of the main street
again.
I will never look at the houses and feel both nostalgia and relief
again.
I will never relive all those damned, exhausted psychodramas
again.
I will never walk around and see how oversized my memories are
again.
I will never let it drag me back into who I was
again.
There was a world beyond it, after all.
It wasn't just something I saw in Life magazine.
There was a place where I could stand or fall
on my own,
and where I could shake off the last remnants
of Dr. Dowie's vision.
And for that, I will count myself lucky.
Again.