HOMESICK

O, how I long to lay by your side

Listening to your beating heart

Home is where you are my dear

I’m homesick for you—

To have you wrapped in my arms

Or just listening to you play a song

Home is where you are my dear

I’m homesick for you—

#HOMESICK

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Kane Brown- Homesick:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aiEcXEnfM3c

{wandering from}

..place..to..place..

b a r e f e e t

-against-the-sidewalk-

^^^nothing more^^^

\than\a\

*dandelion*seed*

b l o w n a l o n g

~~~on~the~wind~~~

[with no control]

|over where|

/i/ /w/i/l/l/ /f/a/l/l/

(where i will)

"'"'"'"'plant my roots"'"'"'"'

a.n.d g.r.o.w

r e a c h i n g

*for the sky*

=to scrape against=

[the clouds]

(with lemon petals)

^but^never^truly^

///\\\getting there///\\\

{nothing more}

|than a weed|

:::to be plucked:::

/\/\/\out of the ground/\/\/\

~~and~discarded~~

|on the edge|

"'"'"'"'"'of the sidewalk"'"'"'"'"'

===that=same=sidewalk===

{that i had paced}

d a y s

m o n t h s

y e a r s

^earlier^

**hoping that**

~~~the~wind~~~

/\would take me/\

---where i needed---

...to go...

(but it didn't)

can i be homesick for a place i've never known?

Western Massachusetts inspires in me deep feelings. Feelings of being surrounded by intellectuals, of people who want the best for other people. There are trees so ripe with green color that their unfiltered light puts a halo over you. The sun shines so brightly as to ease every pain you have; the seasons are turbulent but a part of being, ultimately, alive.

My father's light yellow house is a haven of peace for me. I can sit on his couch for hours, listening to the sounds of a few Prius' driving by his window on his quiet street; the garden outside casts dusty shadows in shining light. The smell there is even a pleasant odor of flowers, and stepping outside of his house is to be greeted by something more natural than anything else.

Something bigger than yourself is at play here, and while the winters are a brutal downfall of foot after foot of snow, you come to love the snowflakes. The air is crisp and untainted. You come to appreciate the snowfall when you are inside a cozy home with everything cancelled; it is the freedom of being a New Englander, even if it's February and you want nothing more than that summertime magic.

But of course the summertime comes eventually, and it's suddenly August - and the downtown a bustling epicenter of hippies and almost-students, and you find yourself wondering when you can settle down here. For while there's not much going on but the incredible nature, the quiet life inspires a feeling of comfort that cannot be replaced by anything else.

Western Massachusetts is a haven I can come back to. And to be homesick? Always.

But I know it's waiting for me and its stark beauty follows me, wherever I go.

The smell of rain

takes me back to

the palm trees in my backyard

my mom would never

stop taking care of

and the birds in my window

that would wake me up

every morning

the sound of rain

brings me back home

to a warm bed

a warm hug

and a home

that’s never empty

and never lonely

homesick - {renata ferretti}

...

This is our foreword: home is sick. With these fictions, paint over what has been done. We found all these things in grandpa’s old suitcase—he died a slow and cruel man. He never let us take that train to the city. But now we’re free to roam, and we already bought our tickets home.

Grandpa died a sly and nonsensical man, but he was all we knew. He fed us, dressed us, housed us—even when he or we didn’t want it. “Nevertheless…” “Nevertheless…” That was his phrase. But now we’re free to stage our case, and in his legacy relay and forgive what he last said:

Hear me—

MOTH A

Buried in light, I was losing my breath. I had with me a frozen bottle of water. Two pillboxes, a bag, a phone, and nothing more. Sitting on the other end of this bench, I felt, on my face, the wind, the cold, and nothing more.

My head was weighing heavier, so I had to set my bag aside and lean on the backrest. My neck bent over backwards—I felt a breeze scrape against my throat. My eyes looked straight up, and I saw an empty winter sky. No stars, no moon—a dark pond of squirming blues fenced in by the spikes of a grey concrete jungle—my city, my Seoul.

The streets around me beamed a dizzy red and yellow. I had to clench my eyes tight to keep those lights outside. Oh, and a single raindrop tapped the middle of my forehead. I cannot remember any of these facts as being otherwise. Surrounded by these truths, I was thinking about why I’d run away.

I cared too much and cared too little; that’s why. I bore this pain and lowered these shutters.

But left in the gutters, I felt only frailer. For your rules and your fools, I stripped myself in layers.

Now I’m left bare, gasping for air. Prayers unanswered, favors unthanked.

Mutter this and mutter that—so on and so forth…

Enter a man, or a boy. He seemed somewhat my age, but taller. His hair was dark and long; his arms swung through the air like the sticks on those old metronomes. He was drunk, so I rolled my eyes back upwards and waited until he passed by.

He didn’t pass by. He sat on this end of the bench and leaned on the backrest the same way I did. You’re ruining my monologue, I thought.

Somehow, he heard it. His face creaked towards my general direction, and he whispered,

“You must be thinking I ruined your moment.”

Yes, but I wasn’t going to admit it.

“Are you drunk?” I replied instead.

“Do I look drunk?”

“Yeah. And you smell drunk as well.”

“Well so do you.”

“But I’m not—”

“Drunk?”

“No.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“What I believe in?”

“Belief in general.”

“I don’t believe I’m drunk.”

“Then I don’t have to explain.”

I was about to reply with something that makes more sense, but I stopped. I knew this pattern. I knew this scheme. I was being swept into his pace, this strange creature. If I were to talk to him any longer, next thing I know, I’d be having a whole conversation with him. Even worse, one that’s under his terms and his terms only. He spoke a recognizable language. I didn’t want to speak it anymore. That’s why I ran away.

So I ran away. I picked up my bag and broke into a sprint. I was scared. The delayed realization that I was talking to this complete stranger, alone, pushed me into a painful pang of panic. Then I felt my legs give up. My high sprint deformed into a low crawl.

The lights blurred into soggy yellow stains, then rushed into my lungs. I had to keep myself sane, so I carved my senses out with the jarring breeze. Wheeze after wheeze, I sunk into the cement below. Leap after leap, I breached my city alone.

I slid into a nearby playground, needing to catch my breath. I crawled up its biggest slide and sat down on its highest platform. The lights were dimmer here; in their place, I heard the noises of children: their laughter, their cries, their feet crunching the gravel below…

The chill of iron pierced my skull as I set it down on the platform, and my back stiffened as I curled into a cocoon. I kept my eyes open as they circled my knees. As they shrunk into twigs, I whispered to them a rasp apology. There was no one else but us.

Nothing more than a slab of steaming meat—I found myself pleading to breathe. As my vision thinned into a tame grey, I found myself lost in a field of snow.

I looked around, then saw behind me an endless line of “me”s. In single-file fashion, they shivered in each their own frequencies, and all their pitch-black eyes and dark brown beaks pointed towards one, precise location: me.

So, I decided to wander around for a bit. They followed me around like a tail.

White, then grey, then another shade of white. The monotonous plane robbed me of any sense of direction. Above it hovered a black fog. Wading through it, I took in deeper and deeper breaths.

I assumed a whole day had passed by the time I saw a faint, red bulge in the distance. Immediately, a swarm of lukewarm blood rushed into my veins, kicking my walk into a light gallop.

A burning igloo, about the size of a two-story building, emerged from the horizon in front of me. Waves of heat whooshed through my body as I approached. I raised my arms sideways as if to embrace it.

My fingertips grew numb as the fire grew louder. My wings began to singe, and my feelers flared ember-orange. The igloo’s roaring breath encroached me as I nudged myself into its flames. Hotter, then hotter, I sunk into its grace. I closed my eyes again. I felt my mind disintegrate.

But a sudden whirlwind swept me backwards, and the world became a darker grey. I opened my eyes to see a familiar monotone. Black fog rushed back into my eyes and lungs.

MOTH B

Enter a man, or a boy. His feet were lodged above my head, and his eyes were looking down on me. I couldn’t see through the shadow cast on his face. I couldn’t tell if he was smiling, or frowning.

“What are you doing, lying on the ground?” He asked.

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I gasped in pain, feeling a sharp migraine. I felt the gravel of the playground press into my spine, but I couldn’t get up. I thought about getting up, about moving my limbs this way and that way, but they didn’t budge.

This all felt like a dream, the one you don’t want to write down in your diary, the one you hold your breath in just to see if that’ll wake you up. But I didn’t wake up. In fact, I didn’t feel myself breathe at all. All I could do was to stare back at the silhouette in front of me with all my newborn contempt—and refuse to talk back.

“I know you’re not drunk. You’re not that type.”

I felt my left eye twitch.

“Get up.”

…

“Get up. It’s already too late.”

I wedged my head deeper into the ground.

He let out a quiet sigh, and, surveying his surroundings, landed his eyes on the platform I (I think) used to be lying on. He walked over there, crawled halfway up the slide, and reached for my bag. As he carried it back to me, he opened it and looked inside—again, looming over me.

“How many did you take?”

…

He took out and held both of my pillboxes in one hand, then shook them.

“I don’t even know anymore.” He murmured.

Then, he sat down next to me, crunching the gravel and letting out a low groan. I took my eyes off him and turned them towards the sky. For a while, we stayed that way: me looking upward, him forward. The sky was still dark; the playground, empty.

We began to hear birds chirp around us. I know he heard them too, because he mentioned them somewhere in the middle of his speech.

“The sun’s coming up.”

…

“It always does, doesn’t it?”

…

“It doesn’t care. It doesn’t care what happens down here, ya know? It always does what it always does. Up and down. Down and under.”

I decided not to dwell on whatever he says anymore.

“They’re not coping so well. They never did.”

…

“I know you’re not believing any of the things I’m saying, I know. I’ve been there, and I know. Believe me, you don’t have to explain anything. I know.”

…

“Come back.”

No.

He told me that he was getting frustrated. After what seems like the end of his patience, he broke. He stood straight up and began yelling—I didn’t listen to a single thing he yelled. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t have to. I already knew the words to that song. I heard it too many times. That’s what made me run away.

So I ran away. As soon as his arms rushed in to get a hold of me, I broke into another sprint. As soon as I did, I heard his voice drop silent. Now the noise of my footsteps alone breached the city’s silence. I ran towards the streets, through their yellow lights and through the glares of a newborn sun.

By the time I could catch my breath again, I found myself caught in the middle of a moving crowd. My legs were too exhausted to fight against it, and my mind was too faint to find a way through it, so I followed their steps and mimicked their walk. Their feet were light and quiet, as if they were sneaking past a sleeping child. Everyone had something in their hands: books, bags, bottles, the hands of others.

After a while, I saw the people in front of me go through a set of glass doors. I soon made sense of what that establishment was, and I pulled myself out of the crowd. From outside, I saw the procession continue. The line seemed to extend backwards indefinitely, only for its front to be absorbed through these doors into this single point in space.

A two-story building. I knew this one. I made my way around to its other side and leaned against its concrete wall.

Enter a man, or a boy. He seemed somewhat my age, but taller. He tiptoed towards me and leaned forward.

“Brother,” He said.

“Pastor,” I replied.

“Ended up here again.”

“It’s a place where people do that.”

“Nice weather, isn’t it?”

“It’s getting a bit cloudy.”

“It’s nice weather. I like it better that way.”

“Well I don’t.”

He took out a red pack of cigarettes from his back pocket gave its head a few light pats.

“Not that type, right?”

He picked out and lit up a cigarette.

“I don’t think so.”

As he sucked on the white stick, his eyes drooped towards the ground. I watched its grey fumes dissipated into a greyer sky as I waited for him to finish it.

“How’s he treating you now?”

“Pastor,”

“Brother,”

“I’m being chased by a man, or a boy. Someone bad and someone scary.”

He kept his eyes glued to the ground.

“I believe you.”

“Pastor, I really am—”

“Brother.”

…

“I believe you.”

…

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

I kept my mouth shut as he lit up a second cigarette. I saw a couple drops of rain fall on the back of his head.

“Service’s starting soon.”

“I saw the people.”

“Wanna come back?”

“I don’t know, Pastor, I—”

“Brother.”

He breathed out a jagged bulk of smoke.

“Brother, neither do I.”

…

“But I believe.”

…

“Maybe I’ll buy you a meal too, next time.”

“What kind of meal?”

“The meat kind.” He said, as he gave me a light pat on the back and headed back inside.

I strolled around the building for a bit. The sky was again a uniform grey, and the high spikes of the city were buried in a thick fog. The noise of cars began to grow clearer and clearer, until they became another confused mess.

I decided to walk away—to put it kindly, but as soon as I saw the streets divide, I tripped and fell. I heard a voice, so I looked around. I saw the line. I heard the noise. Rain began to pour. I saw them walk through the deluge. I stood up and turned my back on them. I heard them laugh—the kind of laughter that made me run.

So I ran.

I ran towards the yellow in the grey.

Euphoric, it may seem,

Of the prospect of leaving to

become someone else to a growing mind.

Wishing that we could have sooner.

With the energy I have built up,

after all those years of yearning,

I have finally have the chance to do it

without the silly repercussions that follow

without the barriers that bar me to doing so.

Yet, as I finished packing

and the bags are at the door

and the sight of the summer air lingers,

I hesitated. I stopped.

Why? After all those years of longing

to move out and escape,

why must I hesitate.

And there, I looked behind

A woman and man, faces stern with passion

Yet I saw the tears, masked and uncontrollable

I knew that I was going to miss home. A lot.

Forlornly looking at my dog,

Who's curled on my tattered pants,

I look up and wish again for help,

A miracle, a sign that I should keep on

Instead of taking her to a pound

And walking with lead shoes into the Erie.

All I have is her and this faded picture

Of happier times, when I had Nathan.

My first true love, my baby, my all,

Pain rips into my ribs when I look

But I hate myself too much to not.

Him sitting on my lap seconds before

The door opened and Cherry ran in

And his little face lit up like a star.

Cherry is all I have left of then,

Of Nathan, my marriage, my mom

Before we overslept, missed the ark,

And drowned in the dirty streets.

Cancer came first, snatching my mom,

Dragging her on a ride of hope and fear,

Dropping her when she was comfortable.

I still had Nathan, who dried my tears,

Held my hand, and helped me through.

That smile, those sparkling eyes, his laugh

Bounced along the hollowing walls

Long after the plane crashed with him inside.

My husband left but it didn't matter,

Not anymore now that it was all empty, all gone.

My fire ate up everything else that was left

After a long night of Schnopps and gin.

It wasn't a home anymore, just a roof and walls,

Echoes of memories and reverberator of sobs.

I'm better off without it, but not Cherry,

Wrapped in a tight ball on my lap, shivering.

Despite all the clothes and blankets I give,

Nothing is warm like our home, our bed,

Nathan's embrace, my mother's smile,

My wedding ring that burned hot in the flames

But never truly broke down, just like the love,

Just like the house that is cindered wood

Being remodeled into someone else's dream.

I'm the only one that broke apart and lost it,

Lost my house, lost my family, lost everything.

I'll find my Cherry a home before I go.

Her laughing eyes hide many secrets:

unannounced plans, unconsidered acts,

unspoken vanities, untold shames,

unexpected joys, unembarrassed loves,

unclaimed errors, unsung braveries,

the pressing void if no one sleeps nearby.

"Mateo! Oh my god, how are you? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Oh, hi. Renee. I'm fine."

"It is so crazy to run into you here, of all places! I really just can't believe it. I mean, one minute, I was sitting at home in boring old Milwaukee, but then I got a call from a strange foreign prince that he was going to pay for me to take a vacation anywhere I wanted if I only gave him my credit card information! Isn't that amazing? I just can NOT believe. Me! Of all people! Haha, so here I am, at the airport in Chicago, ready to board a plane and go to Spain! Oh! I rhymed! Life really is just so funny sometimes when you think about it, isn't it Mateo?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, it is. Wow, a foreign prince? Did he give you his name?"

"Oh no, of course not! It's all very secret and confidential. You know how it is. He has to keep himself safe just in case they're listening over the phone! I'm just so excited for this trip, I haven't been on any exciting vacations since we graduated college, and that was ten years ago! Oh, how time flies. Oh! Mateo! I forgot to ask! Why are you here? Where are you off to?

"I'm, uh, actually just getting back. From Toledo. My mom died."

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry. Look at me, just blabbing on and on and on about my life! That was so selfish of me. I should really learn how to just shut my mouth and listen to people every now and again. That must be so horrible for you and your family. Your dad is still working at that law firm, right? And your sister is still a news anchor over there? What was her name again?"

"Oh, it's Saman--"

"Samantha! Yes! God, she used to be so much fun when we were all in college, partying it up and having so much fun! I miss those days. Now it's all blah, blah, blah, take care of my kids, go to work, get the groceries. Ugh. It's all so mundane and, like, adult. But you know how that goes, right, Mateo? Oh gosh, how's Madaline?"

"We broke up."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. That really is too bad. You two were such a handsome couple! My husband and I were always so jealous of how effortless you made it all look! I mean, seriously. Remember that one night, junior year, when we all snuck into the science building to see those frogs they were keeping in the lab? On GOD, that was one of the best nigh--"

"Renee! Please! This is really not the time. You have to catch your flight to wherever the hell that scam is sending you, and I need to get home. Oh, hold on, my sister is calling. See you later, Renee. Have a safe flight."

"But, Mateo, your phone didn't even ring, silly! Mateo? Why are you walking away? We have so much to catch up on! Mateo! Huh. Bye, I guess. I wonder what got into him."

Hello?...Hello?...Can you hear me?

Yes darling, loud and clear. What’s on your mind, to travel so far into my dark kingdom? Surely not to see me! I thought all of you hated me, up there basking in the rays of sunlight.

No...I’m not here for you! I want to see her...

See who? I don’t memorize all your names, pathetic human.

Emily Daves, I want to see her!

Let me check in my Book of Names...alright, found her name! Emily Daves, 16 year old girl who passed away from..oh that’s a terrible end. The little darling's life must've been a nightmare!

STOP! Don’t make fun of her or I’ll kill you!

What’s with you, kid? Where are your manners? Barging in my home and demanding things from me like I’m your servant?! And what’s with all the tears?

Sorry...it’s just...she’s...she’s my older sister...she was really sick, and really upset because of it...I thought I was able to help...I went to see her every weekend at the hospital...ma did everything to try to get her better...I don’t understand why she got worse...I just wanna make sure she's ok...please I really miss her! Sir, could I please see her?

You got a ticket, kid?

A ticket? Well, um... no...

No ticket, no entry! Sorry kid, maybe die first to see your dead sister.

Where can I get a ticket?

Up there kid, up in the Clouds.

How do I get to the Clouds?

You have to be invited. Sorry, I haven’t been up there in a few billion years, so I don’t know how.

But there has to be some way!

Love to stay and chat about it, but I’m pretty busy ruling the Underworld, so I best be off! Get off my doorstep now, will ya?

WAIT! I’m not leaving until I see her!

Goodbye!

No, no, no! Open the door, sir! Open it please!!! Answer me please!!! Please, I want to see her! LET ME SEE HER! AHHHH!

What the fuck is going on?! Pain!

Yes, sir? You called?

Get your ugly ass out there and command the hellhounds to drive this human kid away. He’s causing a rucus!

Yes, sir!

LET ME SEE HER! LET ME SEE MY SISTER!

Sir....the kid...

Yes?! You got rid of him did you?

Well, no sir...

WHAT?! You’re the most pathetic servant ever, Pain! Can’t even take care of a little human pest?

Sir, he isn’t human though.

What do you mean? He is, I just saw him! Pain, your jokes aren’t funny.

Sorry Sir! I was not trying to be funny Sir! ...but I really don’t think he’s human. He murdered the hellhounds with his blue flames.

...huh? Blue flames? You don’t mean...? He can’t be a demigod, now can he?

That might be the case, sir!

Alright, I guess I have to take care of this myself.

LET ME SEE HER NOW! OR I’LL BURN EVERYTHING!

WOW! Kid! Kid! What are you doing?! Calm down a bit!

NO! LET ME SEE HER!

Yes! Yes! All the Underworld heard you! Can we talk like civilized humans and gods? Stop the flames, please!

Fine! Just get her for me! I don’t even want to come into your palace! Just let me see her!

I wish I could, but without a ticket I can’t reach her.

A ticket? A fucking TICKET? Your King of the Underworld! Why can’t you just get her?

I can’t, cause you see...I kinda screwed things up with my older siblings...which I don’t understand why they even got mad, all I did was murder a few dinosaurs! They were pretty mindless and boring, anyway! Cause of me, we now have you lovely humans! Oh, how much more exciting the lives of gods are with you guys around!

STOP! Don’t ramble to me about your problems! I want you to explain to me why I can’t see my sister!

The aftermath of the whole dinosaur mess-up was...well, my siblings voted to restrict my powers...they don’t trust me and don’t like me, but-

I can totally understand why they’d hate you!

Interrupting, now? I thought you didn’t want to get off track? ‘Don’t ramble!’ YOU said that, right?

Sorry...continue your story.

Well anyway, long story short for your short attention span...I can’t talk to the dead. I can’t see, speak to them or summon them...not anymore, that is. I just watch, like a good little God of the Underworld, on my throne of bones...so boring!

So, your practically useless? Just my luck! Finally made it down here, and all I get is you?

Hey, kid! I’m not useless!

You kinda are! If you can’t help me, how do I get to the Clouds? I need to see my sister, and I need to see her as soon as possible! I can’t wait anymore!

Calm down, kid! And would you cut it out with those blue flames? You’re gonna destroy my door! Don’t make me use my own powers...it could get ugly for you...you know what happened to the dinosaurs.

Ughhh!

Hey, kid. I’ll try sending in a message for you, how’s that? Mind you, I have no idea if they’ll answer up there but I’ll try. See? I’m pretty generous for a god! Now, don’t freak out when I close the door this time, I’ll be right back I promise.

Pain!

Yes, sir?

Need to send a message to the Clouds, for a young man wishing to see his sister.

But Sir...no one answered last time.

That’s cause I wanted some heavenly wine from up there last time...man they’re so stingy! Can’t even send a bottle down! This is a different matter, however Title the letter: think I found one of your long lost bastard sons, eldest brother. Came knocking on my doorstep, and tried burning the door down with blue flames.

Yes, Sir!

...

Message sent, Sir!

Hey kid, told ya I’d be back.

King of the Underworld, you sent the Cloud Kingdom an urgent message? Are you right in the head to proclaim you found a demigod with blue flames?!

Wow, that was a fast reply! Why yes, little brother! Long time no see! Huh, so eldest brother made you his messenger?

Shut up! Just tell me what you want!

Here is the young demigod I spoke of, tell eldest brother about him! Honestly, just take him with you, he’s been bugging me alot with his screaming and threats and blue flames. You know this would have been solved without involving the Clouds if I had my powers restored but-

Shut up, would you for a second?! You’re so annoying!

Wow, they really don’t like you, King of the Underworld?

Told ya, kid! They’re still hung up on the dumb dinos!

Huh, so this is the boy?

Are you able to help me find my sister? I need to ask her something.

Yes, the Cloud Kingdom will see to that! Come with me, there is someone I would like you to meet first.

Alright, I’ll do whatever if it gets me a step closer to Emily.

Bye, King of the Underworld. You’re really useless, ya know?

Bye, pathetic demigod, till next time. Hopefully you pick up a few manners before then.

What an interesting day in the Underworld, huh Pain?

Yes, Sir!