Extraordinary Expedition

It was like a lingering pandemic
There was no escape from its presence
We stretched our legs, muscles paralyzed in slumber
Clutching to the hopes we were sleeping giants
Underneath it all
Darting from its grasp, we ran
Jello legs outpaced by our quick desire
Fleeing the concrete labyrinth we had entered unknowingly
Maneuvering carefully
We refused to surrender
To fall victim like so many
Countless others

We became roadway vagabonds
Extending our fingers, smiles and even legs
Into the shining lights of passing cars
Delirious with fantastical dreams
That somehow borderlined reality
Kissing the lips of strangers with maniacal grins
Crossing our fingers that we’d
Miraculously
Stumble upon a way out

We departed lives of comfort, peace
Under dimmed dashboard lights we hatched plans
Conspiring against this greater evil
We rubbed our nickels together
We planted pennies in the fertile earth
Hoping a bit of freedom would emerge

In late morning hours, we trekked
Stumbling with blind, ragged footsteps
Through open fields, over rusted train tracks
Heading west with pockets full of uncertainty
We watched clouds dart by overhead
As we envisioned hammocks, our feet
Perched out against a stark blue sky

With souls renewed under a burning sun
We traded our talents for food, for water
We survived off of nothing,
Embarking with a plethora of wanderlust
And courage
Once we made it to the shore
We traded youthful memories on the beach
Beside a blistering bonfire, sparking
Reliving our childhood with glistening eyes
Dewy over the dreams we once aspired to claim
Under a dissolving sun, we made pacts
We toasted with crumbling plastic bottles
Believing our future was a fragrant flower to be picked
Not awarded
We always asked the sun
Why it never warned us it’d be so cold
Huddling together, a group of deteriorating smiles
We trusted the strength of our choice