Little Gnats Gnaw

Set out and walk

The loaded supplies seem overwhelming,

yet I set out with confidence

Into the woods

Instantly, the thirsty trees envelop

The branches singing, the needles poking

I see eyes watching

And onward I march

As the sun sets, the world seems to to get smaller

Thirsty trees hug as the raw dirt below cools

Light and fire I must build

The little gnats gnaw

The eyes shine with the moonbeam

They follow and watch

I heed not

With the jungle we must knit

Hunger strikes with daylight

April seemed wise in the moment

Maybe not now as the frost still kisses the forest floor

And onward I march

I guess I’ll walk further today

The sun now warm again overhead, gives strength

Chest bare, the needles start to thin

Onward, a field holds back the thirsty trees

An endless field, a sea of grass

Golden with the sun in the late afternoon

Across the field

Onward I march

A dwelling in the distance

Grows as the I follow the earth’s curve

Puffs of smoke haze the sunset

‘Hello!’

Famished, I approach the residence

A simple place but welcoming

‘Halloooo!’

Onward I march

‘Who’s that!’

‘You don’t know me, but I come from the East,

Back to my roots, I follow this trail,

Does company favor your evening?’

I walk closer,

They are wary

They are cautious

They are stunning

Onward i march, now within feet of the dwelling

The sun is slips through the thirsty trees in the distance

As I adjust to the dusky light

I’m stricken

‘Come’

Inside the dwelling, I sit at the rough table

The dirt floor packed with age

The smoky haze hugs me

I look up, a warm belly comes close

Their eyes, their neck, the frayed hem of the dress

Soaking it in, I’m tired, entranced

The last of the light escapes single window

The fire is all

The embers glow as the chill seeps in

We’re warm in the the bed

I welcome sleep, dreary and dreamy

‘Come’

Onward I march West

The supplies seem smaller now

Or am I bigger?

The sun lifts my pack for me

West, chasing the sun as it slips again

The sores on my feet sting, but the callouses grow

I lift my pack with ease now

No longer struggling with the burden, with the only thing keeping me alive

Again the Thirsty Trees envelop me

Taller this time, older this time

The lower branches fallen, new growth shows above

I’m close

Onward

Evergreen outgrows everything else

It survives and thrives until it stops the underbrush

Suffocates the growth below

Easing the march

The vast woods seems endless

Onward and onward, the march turns to trudge

Witnessing the sun set in front of me again and again

The pack is gone

I’m weary. I need to rest.

I walk until I cannot.

I dream of the warm belly, the arms caressing my head,

Fingers running through my hair

I stop, I collapse,

I see them again. 

They hold me, lift me

Push me forward

Through the thirsty trees

A small clearing

The eyes still watching

Glowing, beady little things

I burst through the clearing

Not daring to look back

The needles clawing, begging my return

No

I see it, I see home

Well, what’s left.

The charred foundation the only thing standing

The clearing is manmade

Dropping to my knees

Onward no longer, I cannot

It is impossible. It is dead.

The char and smoke long settled

Tears streak, leaving long marks on my dirty mug