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We Move Forward or; Changing Cities

by Amber — April 25, 2016

Honolulu, Hawaii, move, forward, moving, relocation, together


A poem about the feeling of weightlessness, freedom, and the uncertainty one experiences as you continue forward with relocating to a new city in an entirely different country.


move forward, moving, boxes, relocationWe Move Forward

It is cold and white outside
I glance out the window, just for a moment
That’s all I can afford
It will melt
It will disappear
It will become light and in patches there will even be green
But I won’t be there to watch.

A small rush travels through me. Unidentifiably mixed. There are tears waiting for the signal to be released, but there is no time.

Precious time ticks by as our life is sold, donated and piled into boxes. With an eye on the prize and a belly full of microwaved meals we move forward.

And then, ready or not the door is locked for the last time. Strangers will walk, eat and fornicate on top of what’s left of us in that house.

The trade. A dream. A luxury. The white and brown left behind and swapped for the risky adventure of lush blue, green… Eternal heat.

Things feel lighter here. A lifted weight? A lack of possessions? It’s only us. But that is only one side of the coin. The other, a bit riskier, prevents roots, discourages long term plans, so we live daily, indulging, spoiling, exploring, taking small steps through this dream, our rare opportunity.

Amber now officially writes for Empress Tea from the beautiful State of Hawaii. Migrating from the Great White North to the Sunshine State, cold to hot, snow to sand, best wishes to Amber and her family on their move forward to an exciting new adventure full of hopes and dreams!

*Photo credit “Couple in Honolulu Rain” by Daniel Ladenhauf

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