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’m 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