Disabused

I tried to take something here
That doesn’t belong to me
In broad daylight:
Brazen thief

And they pushed me back
Knocked me hard down
I blamed them for
Hard ground.

I must have believed if I found a stately
Abandoned oak in the wood, lonely,
It wouldn’t mind so very much really
If I grafted myself into the family tree.

I’ve been
A foolish dreamer
Shame on me for taking hold,
Refusing to let go when I saw the demeanor

Said No Trespassing.
Purple marks on the founding trees
Left their purple marks on the roots of me,
But the sun will shine, and the miles will see

The nomad smile again
In kindness true
At strangers
As I’m destined to do.

And I’m leaving here
Wiser.
The one mistake
I will never duplicate.