The First Night

The first night in a new place

Is always the hardest

The furniture is different

The floor doesn't squeak right

You hear noises you don't recognize

And you get up at some point

Shuffling quietly to the bathroom

Fumbling for the switch

The light stings your eyes

And it takes time to adjust

But there in the mirror

Is the face you know well

Etched by the long, hard fight

The multitudinous sleepless nights

And the tumultuous days on the road

It is a face at once familiar

Yet not quite the one you know

For it seems different somehow

In the cool, bright light that bathes you

In this unfamilair place

So you stand there staring

At the countenance before you

Listening to your breathing

As it echoes off the tiles

Syncopating with your heartbeat

Slowly the idea spreads within you

You are HERE!

The place you have always wanted

The place you knew you belonged

The place where destiny is forged

You flip off the light

Stride quietly back to bed

And nestle under the covers

That first night is strange

Until you realize you belong