They Didn't Check Your Pockets

Another body

Lying in the ditch

On the road to peace

Beaten and robbed

By the creatures

That pursued him

Waited patiently

But not too long

The traveller was young

The traveller was foolish

The traveller often forgot

Where to put his feet

Always the adventurer

Always the ancient mariner

But always still stuck above the sea

And he knows

A rotting corpse

He shall soon be

Baking in the heat

Of his own infidelity

To his road

To what he knows he aims for

Would go blind and lame for

If only that would do it

Look at his scars

How he has torn at flesh

Lost in madness

Grabbing for anything

Just to manifest

What always makes sense

In his heart

But his head is a tiger

A tar patch

A poison fruit

A festering, putrid wound

In the the wilderness

His path leads out of

See
He trips

Off the stones

Into the trees

And now he can't see

All around are insects

And leaves

Snakes and stingers

Of nightmarish things

All with a quiet hum

That is thunder to him

Screaming from the world below

Into his Metaverse

And it sounds like traffic

And ringing phones

And paychecks

And news

And it smells like gasoline

To him

It's burning through his skull

He cannot see

Through the blackness

That it produces

And it confuses all his directions

And intentions

And only leads to misconceptions

Dangerous in the wilderness

Who knows what he will miss

And land

Face down

In the ditch

And without seeing

Without knowing

He can feel the road glowing

Just past his hand

Stretched out as he fell

And he smiles

Because he imagines his finger

Touching down on a single brick

And hope gently licks his face

A faithful companion

Who will never think

Her human to be dead

And with a bloody hand

He reaches to pet her head

And runs his fingers

Through her fur

So she lays down

To give her only cure

A thought

A wish

A notion

A sense of love

Of not being alone

She is a stone

Put her in your pocket

When you wish to drown in joy

Walk

And she will show you the way

She will teach you

That your path is her river

And she always delivers

If you think she doesn't

You are dull

And you must look deeper

Quiver and shake

Stammer in the face

Of the realization

That the bricks of your road

Are ebbs and flows

Look and try to be

What comes from the mountains

And flows to the sea

See where you cascade and fork

See where you lead

See oceans are clouds

And realize that you are loud

Loud enough to scream

And drown out

All those creatures

All the features

Screaming up at you from reality

And if you could be

A river

And know you are the sea

You wouldn't be in a jungle

Traveller-

Hold onto hope

She warms you

And comforts you as you die

And as you sink

You will realize

You are the ocean

In which you drown