the difficulty of return

When I first got back,

I thought people would

wish to listen,

moved by my unlikely tale.

Soon I saw that to them I was

mere pariah, outcast,

traveler from a far country

no one had ever heard of,

or believed in.

These goods I brought home

were invisible to all

but the most discerning eye.

My recitals, my celebrations

and laments for what had transpired,

a dumb-show

to all but the most

finely tuned ear.

Now I am ringed by a halo of silence,

and move cautiously,

mouth closed

over this stone

I carry on my tongue.

~ Dorothy Walters

from Marrow of Flame