I Am Going--a mirror poem to I Am From

 The car is packed, the preparations have been made, and I am ready,

Ready for an adventure, for the unknown, for what is unseen or unimagined.

Google Maps and Alexa are turned off because I have no guide to the future.

All I know is that I am ready,

Ready to leave hurtful memories behind, while treasuring saved snapshots of love in my head,

To find new joy in the present, and to anticipate the future.

I am going to a place in my heart where hummingbirds slurp from the nectar,

Butterflies lightly land on purple blooms,

Squirrels chase under trees, dogs play in the green grass.

I am going to a chair under the trees, gentle breeze caressing my shoulders,

A book in my hand allowing me to climb mountains and cross seas,

A song in the air making my soul dance.

To a place where rain splashes down in gentle drops,

The needed nourishment for all living, 

The lightning brightens the sky, and the smell after the storm brings a sigh of gladness.

I am going to a place that accepts that my external age does not match my internal age,

That I may want to play in the sand, swing on swings, roll down hills,

Pick up frogs, splash in a pool, build towers of blocks, build dams in a small creek.

I am going to a place filled with laughter, with friends, with those who value my story

With those who honor my place in this world,

Where friendship soothes my soul and warms my heart.

I am going to a place filled with purpose, with a sense that lives are changed,

With arms outstretched,

A light to others in the dark.

I am a going to a place where friends become family,

Where tailgating kids climb on my back and draw me pictures,  

Where I drop love everywhere I go.

I go to a place where I am me,

Where I treasure the moment,

Where solitude satisfies.

Where the tiniest beat of a butterfly’s wings  half a country away changes my world (Yes, I can live with that).

Where my soul is filled,

Where I am completely and utterly myself.

I am going where the dragon flames speak of latent danger,

I am going where the Phoenix rises, a new creature,

Stretches out her wings and ascends to the skies above.