I wait too long to go home,
and the moonlight that pours
over the pond
disappears as I walk
into the woods
I know my way back,
yet everything looks different at night
and I remember that night
so long ago
and fear sets in
tightening my muscles
and making my heart pound.

I trip
and reach out
landing with a thud in the dirt
and branches that cover the
ground, feeling the mud
seep into my jeans

I throw a fistful of wet dirt at the darkness
in front of me
and I begin to cry

because I am lost
and I cannot find my way home