Where the Heart Is

[milo]

Hello Mark

Where the Heart Is

The world isn't really much
bigger than this map, he said.

I feel like this line specifically is doing a lot of heavy lifting

It is precisely hand drawn

I get what you want with "precisely" but (for me) it offers much less.  Maybe "hand-drawn"?

on yellowing paper, inscribed
with detailed descriptions.
He points to all the places
he's been, where they are
all within walking distance
of the only home he's known.

Something a little off about the construction of " He points to all the places he's been, where they are all within walking distance of the only home he's known." - possibly because of the dual possibility of "where"

He laid out his entire life
intentionally- some places
highlighted, others struck through.
As you walk beside him
on the trail by the creek
he stops, at a large old oak-
initials fading, yet clear.
I always knew that girl
would be my wife.

Not sure if you need both large and old - one kind of implies the other

Further up, you cross on flat stones
where the creek is shallow, winding
with the path through tall sycamores.
You come to a small white church
marked with a heart. Behind it
a headstone circled in red. He carefully
folds the map; hands it to me, gently.
It's yours now, son-
you'll know where to find me.

Anyway - minor stylistic quibbles - probably just a matter of taste - I enjoyed reading, thanks for posting