Porch Light (2025)

I left the screen door cracked,

Like a question I wasn’t brave enough to ask.

The airs grown heavy- 

Not with storms, just the weight of you not calling.

Ashtray full, and every bud 

Reminds me of how our time together 

Wasn’t long enough.

I don’t chase your taillights anymore, 

Just trace the hush between the passing

Of our train horns, 

And wonder if you’re chasing spirits 

Or just forgetting mine.

The porch light flickers as if it knows 

How often I change my mind-

Jumping between the thought of if 

I should keep your memory alive 

Or actually force myself to forget you this time.

Some nights I dream you’re back,

Not to stay, just to see if I still wait…

But this isn’t a story of heartbreak,

More like a lesson I had to partake-

A lesson of how a man learns to speak 

Only to himself, 

And listens to when the wind says 

They’re not coming back

M.H. John