Settle In

I feel the urge to take root

as if I am a potted plant

trying to bust through

the plastic or ceramic

and dig into the dirt

with my fingers and toes

until they are buried deep

in the earth. 

Each day the yearning

grows and I know

it is for the dirt here,

not back home

where all the memories

of you 

are interwoven

into the trees,

the ground, the grass

and everything

in between. 

I need space

that is my own,

where I can spread out

my roots, 

my branches

and leaves, 

where I can let loose,

where you 

aren't a part

of the landscape

except for where I
(and only I)
choose.

The space here
is an infinite breath
I inhale and never release.
It is magnanimous
and full of relief
all at once,
with the sun forever lingering
upon a horizon
too far out of reach.

My heart is as wide
as the open land
around me
and I have never felt
more free.
I stretch out my arms
like plant limbs
and wait for my roots
to set in.