Blow for Blow

Forgive me
There’s an element of reciprocity
After the intentionality
Of my migration to this city

I pushed forward
Through the dense matter of fate,
And it pushed back
With equal force and weight

I purposed to end my earthly roam
I dug in my heels stubbornly
I looked to carve a home
From foreign scenery

I took a shovel and broke ground
The blowback broke me
It knocked me down
Hobbling my knees

If wishing and working could make it so
Perhaps I may have had a chance
To find my way back home
But I did violence to circumstance

And it returned the blow.