A long distance

I've decided to slowly let go of all my strings,
the ones that keep me bound so tightly with home.
because the reality is, this is my home now, and I need to move on.

ha.
easier said than done, right?
I come from a valley tucked away in the middle of nowhere-ish,
where gossip reaches your ears about things you havent even done yet,
and everyone you meet knows everyone you already know somehow...

and the thing is, when you leave,
if your one of the few that make it out, you dissapear...

you become part of the valleys secret history,
and they forget you..

much like the Shire in the Lord of the Rings,
you can return after saving Middle Earth,
and the response your likely to get when you walk into the local bar is
"Oh. havent seen you in a while, been busy..?"

this would be fine, but those people are my life,
and it pains me to think that the memories
and thoughts i so cherish will become
dusty old snapshots no one ever looks at, once I've gone.

at least, the one thing I can hold onto is, this valley will never change.
sure, places will close down and new ones will open,
and sure, people will date other people and befriend other friends,
but if I ever come home, it will all still be there, in the corner of the world...
waiting.

and in the meantime, id like to see the rest.
the unexplored. the unexplained. the new...