The Homecoming of my Old Friend – Novid Shaid

The homecoming of my old friend.

By Novid Shaid, 2003

One day, a painful memory shook my heart,
My old friend had served me since my birth,
And I had cast him out onto the street,
Denying his undying faithfulness.
For my old friend was becoming wearisome,
Especially now I’d made new, trendy friends,
In these progressing times he seemed passé,
My friends would snigger at my companion.
So, I barged him out onto the lonely street
I slammed the door as he began reasoning,
I convinced myself he was an inconvenience,
I assured my friends I had forsaken him.
Many days and weeks passed gradually,
I felt the world vibrating at my feet,
His knocking had halted some time ago,
But still I knew he lingered there, outside.
So I threw off all my guilt and held my breath,
Then leapt into the mires of my desires.
I plunged in hordes of feigned relationships,
I hosted great, extravagant soirees,
Fleeting ecstasies were my preoccupations,
My house bulged with gatecrashers gushing in,
My heart sagged with intruders surging in.
Until one day, as I jigged around my room,
Encircled by my artificial friends,
They closed in on me, stifling my breast,
They pressured me to offer them my heart,
When a slow knock rocked against my door
Its reverberation left a thunderous roar,
My body trembled like a shaken leaf
From deep within arose familiarity,
I staggered to and fro, shielding my ears,
But still the knocks resounded, thundering.
And then the realisation struck me down,
My abandoned friend was waiting in the cold.
And as this certainty aroused my heart,
Tears of shame ran, searing my desires,
Each drop fell, and my heart was up in flames,
The intruders fled, shrieking in agony.
I moved towards the knocking on my door
The tense smiles of my friends stood in the way,
Attempting to divert my attention,
They promised untold pleasure if I stayed,
But when they realised I was intent
They grabbed my legs and fought to drag me back
Their wailed and cried revealing their dismay,
And I just kicked them off with bitterness.
And so I stood there, facing my front door
I turned and saw my friends gaping in horror,
I turned the handle with my quivering hand
My heart lamented as the door opened,
I dreaded facing him after so long,
I planned I’d throw myself before his feet,
When suddenly every single thing vanished
My house, my friends and nothing else remained.
And then I found myself not in my room
But on the lonely street, there, shivering
Before me stood a great, glistening door
It opened and my old friend emerged.
He covered me with warm, comforting robes
He wrapped me in His unifying glow,
He sheltered me from sorrow and the cold,
And I had been a homeless, wretched soul,
And by His love I’d finally returned home.