Confessions of a Hypocritical Wendell Berry Reader

‭ How nice it sounds to finally put down root,‬

‭ To tend a garden, reap its long-awaited. . .‬

‭ But just a second, hold that thought;‬

‭ I’ve got to catch this flight I bought.‬

‭ The call of hearth and home‬‭ does‬‭ beckon,‬

‭ But so does that of airport check-in.‬

‭ Adventure waits, with unknown thrills in store‬

‭ It’s a dangerous business, going out your front door!‬

‭ Of heroes wandering — homesick roamers,‬

‭ I’m more akin to Tennyson’s than to Homer’s‬

‭ The open seas themselves the constant Siren’s call —

‭ The destinations blinking on the wall.‬

‭ Another girl awaits with one more swipe;‬

‭ Another “nothing wrong, just not my type.”

‭ Another job, another test to pass;‬

‭ Another field with ever-greener grass.‬

‭ In all this lies much cognitive dissonance,‬

‭ For I know that doors exist to open on inns;‬

‭ I know all roads are meant to lead to Rome;‬

‭ The point of all the flights the “welcome home.”

‭ So when, oh when, at last to rest in‬‭ my‬‭ abode?‬

‭ Yes, adventure waits upon the road,‬

‭ Horizons beckon, the green light calls;‬

‭ But unless he stumbles, unless he falls,‬

‭ . . . A traveler will never bear much fruit.‬

author: Coby Dolloff
issue: Rooted
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