A Tale Told

They were two of different kinds, sitting in the corner. They were friends it seemed, meeting for the first time in a long time.

” Tell me friend,” said one, ” how has life fared with you?” For it was quite obvious to him that something was weighing on his companion. He seemed much too old, with time having no say in it.

” You wish to know?” questioned his companion

” Of course, I would not have asked otherwise,” was replied,” I’m worried about you”.

With an exhale the companion began his tale.

“ Old friend, don’t be scared

I have a secret to tell

I followed the hidden trails

You won’t believe what I found there

Many a fantasy, floating in air

I just stood there and stared

Then I heard them calling me

I could feel them pulling me

And hear them whispering

They whispered sweet things

Soothing things

Things to beckon me

They showed me lights that made visions

Visions of what could be

What may be

I reached toward them

To find nothing

Maybe they were hiding?

Of that I convinced myself

Deeper I walked through the hidden trails

‘Till weaker I felt

Was I always this frail?

But further I went

And pushed myself with thoughts of tails

Tails I’d tell of these trails

Of my journey and success

But my success seemed dimmer

And I was going deeper

I had lost all trace

They were gone, those fantasies

withered away it seems

And all that’s left of them is a memory of what could be

I was lost

Alone

I mourned what I could not own

I saw it as my end

For what had I left?

Nothing, but the memory of what I could not grasp

My dream seemed a distant past

In sorrow I turned

To find a way back, back from the hidden trails

For the longer I stood

The more my sweet memories shook

But I could not let these trails take them

I tried to shake it

This feeling of dread

Turning I ran, ran as fast as I can

Past the ghosts of my fantasies

‘Till a clearing I saw

As I burst from those trails

And I felt the dread leave my soul

As I hung my head there

This story I tell

As a warning, my friend

Don’t reach for what you can not hold

For this story I’ve told

Is not just for you alone

But for all to know

Not to lust for the glow of what is unknown

For what may look like gold

May easily be worth nothing at all

And what’s left after this?

After the searching

The waiting and yearning

Perhaps just a shell

A semblance of hell

With nothing before

And darkness encroaching

But now this story must end

Do with it what you can, old friend

And perhaps I’ll see you again”

With his story ended, the companion gathered his belongings, and with a last nod at his friend, he left. Behind him was left a pondering figure, alone, in a silent corner.

-AMR

What A Shame

I have another tale to tell you. It’s quite sad, but all stories can’t be sunshine. So stoke the fire and accommodate yourself, and we’ll get started.

They left him by the wayside, frozen in stone

They said his heart couldn’t beat anymore

They shed their crocodile tears, and left him still

Then they went home

He was honest, he was brave, he was loved

That is, ’til the end

Such a Tragedy they cried, as they forgot his name

Such a full life he lived, some would say

Yet non of them new him, for how could they?

They spent all their time worried about their dimes

And barely looked up to mourn a life that was not their own

By tomorrow they’ll forget the clothes he’d worn

And they’ll say ‘what a shame, it seems I’ve forgotten his name’

To Fly A Million Miles In A Day

She dreams of flying. Especially on cool evenings when the breeze seems almost silken, stroking the world with gentle hands. But don’t all have this wish? To take up to the heavens and feel a clouded sky. Like the birds that glide so free.

To fly a million miles in a day

How hard could it be?

If my soul led the way, with its wings flowing free

But she can’t. She is bound to this ground. Oh, it’s not so bad, most days it doesn’t matter. She lives with love and barely has had a passing acquaintance with hate, it’s a good life. But on a rare day, when the breeze is just right, and the birds are having their say, she feels it. The want. She looks around, and it hits her, there is more. More blue, and green, and every color in this world. And she could see it. If she could fly.

To leave behind this desolate place

As I search for an everlasting grace

How hard would it be to let go of this lonely heart

And forget the weights that tether me to the dirt

With all that’s inside me begging to fly above this earth