~ a fascinating ‘nother look at an old classic

Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton on Unsplash

I’m reading a 10th grade book assignment,

one I’d merely skimmed at the time

*

it’s overwhelming what they’d endured

the hardships, the struggles, the isolation

*

they believed in, they trusted the promise

of this new Canaan, this soil-rich land

*

but, now, look where we’ve come

just look at what’s become of us

he practices his form in the living room

tall windows peer out across the fairway

a slight breeze ripples through the locust leaves

my husband’s silhouette against a spring sky

Photo by Parker Hilton on Unsplash

I ride a Bengal tiger

striding across the Saharan sands,

my faithful entourage flank me

to both the right and the left.

sentries guard my tent

in the chill of the desert night

while I record the day’s transactions —

twelve bolts of silk,

eighty tins of spices, a multitude

of rare birds, poisonous snakes,

gold, salt & ivory —

preserving the glories

of our pilgrimage

in a leather-bound journal,

every page rimmed

in gold leaf,

every word, homage

to our wide-eyed wanderings.