Where Did They Go?

I searched under dead leaves
Then in snowbanks
Then in the muddy farmers’ fields
Slick with damp autumn rain 

I searched under my shared bed
Then on the highest bookshelves
Then in the bottles and pouches
Stuffed into the medicine cabinet 

I searched the back of my mind
Then the pit of my stomach
Then, finally, I even searched the holes
Gouged into my ego 

In all my searching
I never did find them
Not here, nor there, nor anywhere
Not a single one 

Are they hiding in the dark?
Have they crept away slowly
Under the cover of many nights
As the years turned over again and again?

Did they scatter like panicked insects
Under the hot glare of my spotlight?
Where did the reasons skitter off to
If they ever existed at all?

December 18 – 21, 2025