9. The Prodigal Son

When he came home,
She was waiting for him,
Waiting for him to clean the bathroom,
To clean the footprints in the kitchen

But the scratches were carved in wood
And couldn’t be wiped away

When she came home,
He was waiting for her,
Waiting for her to make it all right
Okay, I got it, please leave her alone now,
She’s barely half a century

When she came back home
No one was waiting for her
To pad her on her shoulder, to say they
Missed her dearly, to say they were sorry
To have left her all alone

When he came back home,
Everyone was waiting for him
To welcome him into the hour of
Mere joy and destiny, to say hello and then farewell.