I have a lot of stories 

From places I’ve never been 

And countless allegories 

Of the things I found within 

I followed a broken compass 

A map turned upside down 

A GPS without a signal 

The North Star covered in cloud 

I stumbled upon San Francisco 

By taking a few wrong turns 

I ended up a wreck 

And no one seemed concerned 

While searching for direction 

I lost myself to who I became 

It was what I didn’t need 

But it’s the city I can’t blame 

Raleigh was bustling and busy 

There wasn’t enough room for me 

I ended up on the outskirts 

But was still reluctant to leave 

So I set the city on fire 

And let myself burn too 

I didn’t know how to walk away 

From the only place I knew 

In a little coastal town 

On the western side of France 

I struck out on my own 

And got stranded alone in Nantes 

I tried to surf in the ocean 

But I couldn’t break through the waves 

My cries were lost in translation 

Et puis j’ai été submergé 

Phoenix was where I washed up 

Wandering with no destination 

I clearly didn’t belong there 

But it was better than isolation 

I was told if I wanted to stay 

All I had to do was conform 

But it wasn’t in my nature 

It was all desert, and I was a storm 

Ontario was nice in the spring 

While I was a still a mess 

It was a place often dark 

So I felt welcome nonetheless 

When I returned in the winter 

The first thing I discovered 

Is that it was far too cold 

After I’d recovered 

New Orleans was full of life 

A bright and beautiful masquerade 

A contagious joie de vivre 

A blue moon escapade 

Its lights shone through the fog 

Though not everyone understood its charm 

I walked away with open eyes 

From a city with open arms 

The Windy City called my name 

When I was just passing through 

With the smoothest of silver tongues 

And syntax that seemed brand new 

What I saw in vibrant color 

Was really only gray 

And faded before my eyes 

Just as I decided to stay 

With nowhere else to turn 

I revisited familiar roads 

Bluegrass beneath my feet 

Every which way I strode 

If I weren’t so persistent 

I’d have given up completely 

And passed right by the door 

That welcomed me so sweetly 

Here was my conclusion 

The final chapter to tell 

A verse that flowed like music 

To a beat that bid farewell 

My feet fell still beneath me 

With no more need to roam 

The journey’s end as finally 

A well-travelled heart had found a home