A Corner of the World

There's a corner of the world
That used to house a sheltered light
But the light went out
And now
That corner
Finds itself concerned

Where there once was warmth
There's cold
Where there had been safety
There's uncertainty
Where life was present
Now it's dark

Death has kissed the doorway
Death has left its mark

So we ride around in circles
Adjacent places, isolated
That used to be connected
To that corner of the world

The people who would visit
Feel torn up by their guilt
Did they visit it enough?
Did they keep the fire burning?
Did they do their best?

They're the ones who ride around
They're the ones who dial the number
To hear a ring they know will carry
But will never be received

They stand and stare at empty windows
Questioning if they've lost their minds
They buy flowers when they remember
That the light was buried somewhere
And that spot should be kept up
With remembrances
By those
Who never found themselves remembering
When remembering
Mattered most

A calendar says times goes by
But the mind says time can shrink
It can sit inside your eyes
And wait for you to blink

The details you forget
Snap back at you
At times when it's convenient
But often, when it's not

A word or worry drops the air out
The business busies itself
Until it stops

Then you're a mess
And then you're fine
And 'fine' means you're a mess
But you can smile

You can cry when you're alone
You can shake your head so hard
That it swipes away the truth

You can put on all the shows
That make people
Aim their gaze
Away from you

But you can't produce the light
That's needed in the here and now

Your corner's still in flux
It's still not shining
Bright enough

This place will get there someday
But right now, it sits in shadow
Where before
The shining corner
Was enough
To fill the world

It filled your world
And overflowed it

It made everywhere
Look
Like home

There was a corner of the world
That for some, was all the world
And so some move right past it
Thinking nothing of the dark

And others sit and wait
For that old light to reappear

While others say Remember

Remember

Remembering that corner
Back when it was lit and full

Can produce another light
Another corner
Another time
Another try

The dark is dark
For it's forgotten
And lost is lost
And dead is dead

So remember and the light
All that light
Could shine again