I stepped onto the overgrown trail, ready
for a walk in the refreshing sunlight
after rainy days of gloom.
The sun shined through cracks
in the roof of leaves, leaving
white speckles on the tan,
rock-cluttered dirt.
It shined down on my face,
but I couldn�t smile. The darkness
had spread through my body.
It was the worst kind of disease:
the kind that eats away your will.
I made my way to the pond
where I used to go when I was a kid.
I used to go there to go fishing
with sticks for dead leaves floating
on the muddy water.
I looked at the pond today
and it was nothing
more than a puddle cluttered
with trash and rusted car parts.
The thing that stood out the most was a sign:
No Swimming
Now that I�ve seen the Rocky Mountains
towering in all their magnificent, grey glory,
crystal lakes nestled in the valleys,
and the twisted, orange sandstone cliffs of Utah,
a puddle I once called a pond
has lost its charm.
I�ll walk home in the sunlight.
Home to the job
I thought would be a holiday.
Home to the life
I thought would be a dream,
with my mind closed
to the endless opportunities ahead
that are cloaked by daylight
darkness.
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