Member-only story
THE TRAVELER
Poetry Cave
I place my right hand on a wall and start walking,
I was told as a boy, if you are lost inside a maze
place one hand on a wall and walk,
eventually you’ll make it out,
but life is not a maze,
life is a mirror you step through,
life is a puddle you fall through,
life is a sky that looks down remorselessly,
there is a lantern that hiccups in the night,
sears char onto glass,
it speaks of courage
and the men who hold such lanterns aloft,
I see the brim of his hat,
I see his dark eyes and his stubble-riddled face,
I see his stained teeth,
he is cautious steps,
he waves to me,
I believe in friendliness but I have
wounds from a fight with
a wild boar,
I carry scars from the tusks,
the man beckons and I decide between
my future and my fear,
ahead of me there may be traps, but behind me
there is only the past,
the way of the traveler is the way of new shapes,
filled with new sky,
behind me there is brimstone,
behind me there is what I already know,
every step is a new opportunity to die,
but there is no opportunity to live without opportunity to die,
I step, he beckons, the lantern flame licks the glass,
he waves, his black eyes flicker,
I step,
the walls around me disappear into the vestiges of darkness,
I step, (hesitant),
I step, (it is not what you feel),
I step, (it is what you do),
I step.
Roman Newell is hard at work on his debut novel — 20XX — a work in magical realism, which explores the complexities and conflicts in modern day societies amid confusing social norms, rapidly evolving technology, and impact traumas. Roman’s website.
