Perpetual Horizon, Perpetual Emptiness
A poem
A poem
my feet kick up red dust
with each shuffle forward
the dry earth swallows the imprints
almost instantly
this vast expanse taunts me
with its endless, undulating curve
just over the next rise, it promises
just a few more steps and you’ll arrive
i know better than to trust its lies
but still i chase that crisp borderline
where the bleached sky presses
into the cracked, baking ground
a lifeless mirage shimmering ahead
retreat with each relentless stride
this ruthless dance between
my yearning and its indifference
what perverse creation,
this woefully unreachable edge
this desert path unspooling forever
this ceaseless aching to touch the untouchable
perhaps we were meant to hunger after phantoms
our souls craving the impossible
our mortal strivings doomed to incompletion
in the end
all we can do is surrender
swallow the truth’s white hot sand
let it scour us blessedly empty
If you enjoyed reading this, you may also want to explore and subscribe to my weekly Newsletter, Poetry Genius, which contains tips and discussion on all aspects of poetry writing.