I long to go back...

to the places held dear in my memories.

The locations that shaped my very essence

and the place where the fiber of my being was sewn together

one stitch at a time

Starting with my birth place and the the place I spent my fondest

memories. that vibrant special place where being a kid meant

playing outside barefoot with the dry summer breeze in your face

This is the place I grew up… the place where the foundations for my oldest and dearest friendships were layed

indestructible by time and distance.

It is here where I battled adolescent insecurities and coming of age torment

and where I laid eyes on my first crush and encountered my first broken heart

the place where I would drive along with my father on a Sunday morning

in his white Jetta on a mission for fresh cheese rolls from

our favorite bakery.

The place where my brother and I conspired and rivaled the way siblings often do…

This place with the most violent of summer thunder storms and red sand roads

the place where poverty and affluence arrive at an unsettled median

I miss this place and all the dearness I encountered there

the beautiful urban forest

the brilliant stars of the Southern skies

the vibrance and creativity of the people

I want to bring my girls to this place

where their mother and father both grew up

where subtle hints of Jasmin and jacaranda float through the air

I want to show them the wonders of nature through a safari

and let them dip their toes in the warm currents of the Indian ocean

and set foot on the tip of the amazing African continent.

…until we meet again.