But Come Ye Back

I once read that the Irish and the British
came to Schuylkill County because
it reminded them of their homes
in the patchwork green hills and farmlands
dotted with cows and sheep.

The Anglophile in me,
even as a kid,
always loved that.

Eventually I’d make my own home
across the sea,
and it all made sense
because I loved the romance
of my new home,
but I couldn’t help but think of my first homes
by the Hidden River,
when we’d drive through
miles of farms, past barns,
or the train whistles would ring.

And,
to some degree,
it felt like
either way,
I’d never leave.

Juliette Sebock is a Best of the Net-nominated poet and writer and the author of Mistakes Were Made,Micro, and Boleyn, with work forthcoming or appearing in a wide variety of publications. She is the founding editor of Nightingale & Sparrow, runs a lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste, and is a regular contributor with Marías at Sampaguitas and Royal Rose. When she isn’t writing (and sometimes when she is), she can be found with a cup of coffee and her cat, Fitz. Juliette can be reached on her website, juliettesebock.com, or across social media @juliettesebock.