Walking Poem

for Socorro

i am dying by inches,
in small steps on well-worn roads
each night as i waste away
walking.

just walking. i am always
walking. and every step toward
home--every step toward you --
takes me

farther and farther away.

then wheels take me back past my
resolutions, my promise
to myself to walk away
for good

and I am drawn, through hurt
through anger and through sadness
through joy, to you, to begin
the cycle of walking again.