After all that time,
I am still waiting
for you to come home.
The seasons have shifted,
the wind has forgotten your name,
but I haven't.

I water the plants
you once planted,
straighten the frame
that still holds your smile.
Every dusk,I listen
for the sound of your steps-
soft,certain,
like they never left.

Because I know
that one day you will return,
to pass the porch
and wrap me tight in your arms,
as if no years
had stretched between us.

And on that day,
time will finally exhale,
and the waiting
will have been worth it.