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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Treading Forward - poem



The world is dark,
I'm on a bridge
But can't see ahead.
It looks down-trodden
Like my thoughts.

There are planks,
But not regular, continuous.

I turn around;
No going back.
Where was back?
Where did I come from?
How did I end up here?
Where is here?

I look forward;
It’s the only way.

I tread carefully,
Fearful of a fall
Into the abyss of the unknown.

My mind
Is numb, racing.
I try to block out the demons
Of fear and uncertainty,
Those that have haunted
My days and nights.

The bridge carries on.
How long will I keep walking?
No end in sight.

Something flutters in my periphery.
I look and nearly fall.
I stand still,
Only to be surrounded by silence.

Was it a bird?

I begin to walk again,
Careful to step on the planks
And skip the empty ones.

Another flutter,
I hear it but ignore it.
The sound grows louder,
The wind picks up.
A flock of birds?
I try not to look back.

Louder and louder;
I feel the bridge will crumble beneath me.
Will I be lost, forever?

Lost in my thoughts,
I almost fall.

The planks have ended,
Leaving me in the middle of nowhere.

The fluttering is louder,
I venture a look behind.
"They're not birds," I say,
"Books! Sweet glorious books!"
My heart flutters too.

I welcome them;
And they land one by one,
Forming new planks in my bridge.

Shoulders squared,
Faith restored,
I continue on my way.
The path may be unclear,
But my feet are firmer now.

I carry on forwards.


Written: Monday, 11 January, 2016 for Takhayyal writing prompt no. 26.


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