ohheyian

I travelled a great distance
it felt like mostly down
I arrived somewhere I knew, my childhood neighbor’s back yard
he died alone, tragically, crashing his motorcycle
an empty house waiting for him
but it wasn’t him living in the house
it was me
another me
he waited on the back porch
where my neighbor always used to sit
the house where I grew up was filled with another family; kids, dogs
I asked him how he ended up here and he looked around like he was confused
“I forgot,” he said.
“I’ve just been sitting on these steps for a long time, waiting it feels like.”
“Waiting for what?” I said
“Whatever comes after.” he said
I sat with him for a while and the scene never changed
it was a little hot, a little humid, a baking heat
“Do you want to go inside?” I said
“Inside where?” he said
“The house.”
“Oh. I hadn’t noticed it.” he said
we sat longer
the kids in my old house came outside with their dogs
“Those look like my old dogs.” he said
“Those are our old dogs.” I said
the kids threw a toy and the dogs ran over the small grassy slope that separated the yards
“Let’s see if they remember us,” I said, and we walked back through the lawn, past the blueberry bush
we sat, and the dogs looked at us
one wandered over slowly, sniffing the air like there was something he recognized
we reached out our hand and he sniffed it, his tail beginning to wag
the other dog seemed to suddenly understand, and yelped with joy as he dashed over
both dogs leapt to our face and licked us while we cried
I don’t know what any of it meant and I wished I’d never seen it but I’m glad they remembered me.