as if you are traveling in a far country
and we don’t hear from you because
you’re having the best time and are too busy
to find a post office or a telephone;
as if we expect you to knock on the door
one Thanksgiving, laden with souvenirs
and stories, and we’ll hug you,
set another plate, welcome you home;
as if there wasn’t the quiet grave
under the oaks and the headstone
bearing your name.
Agnes Vojta grew up in Germany and now lives in Rolla, Missouri where she teaches physics at Missouri S&T and hikes the Ozarks. She is the author of Porous Land, The Eden of Perhaps, and A Coracle for Dreams, all published by Spartan Press. Most recently, she has been collaborating with seven other poets on the book Wild Muse: Ozarks Nature Poetry which is forthcoming from Cornerpost Press in October 2022. Her poems have appeared in a variety of magazines; you can read some of them on her website agnesvojta.com.