Wind

Short poem I wrote a couple years ago in my journal. Decided to let some people read it.

I stare at the steps left behind

I bend down to test for warmth

How long ago have I been here?

I feel the depth of the craters and wonder,

Am I running away,

Or carefully contemplating my treads?

Only the wind knows my secret.

The gust of winds I pushed through,

The twigs I snapped and

The blood-stained leaves I crushed

As my naked feet battled this trail of hostility.

Only the wind knows my struggle.

This same wind that blew violently,

Holding me in constant pity

But also blew so hard that my tears 

Had no other choice than to disappear into my skin.

My cries were invisible to many

But I never forgot the wet streaks crawling into the creases of my smiles.

Because it reminds me that even the most devastating hurricanes begin with a single drop.

Only the wind knows the salinity of my pain.

I can see footsteps created by the undaunted

And I know it takes a bold mind to stray away,

To take another route into a world I believe in.

So I take off my shoes and let my toes burrow in the soil,

So I remember where I began.

I remove my clothes to inform every molecule of my being

That I have started over today.

The branches that lash at my raw skin will only leave temporary marks;

And the lonely nights in a starless sky will only be memories of the past.

Once I arrive, wherever that is,

I will thank the wind.

Because even though it pushed me back many times,

It had always greeted me differently every day.

And I am grateful for its spontaneity.

Nearing the end, I let go of my fears and I feel my worries,

Falling of my shoulders as easily as my hair drops to kiss my neck.

I see the path.

It is untouched, and absolutely beautiful.

Naked, like me, and waiting.

I kneel to thank it for letting me walk on this mystery.

Standing now with my shins painted black,

And my lips glittering with a dust of soil.

I lick my lips and taste the adventure.

I take my first steps forward

Feeling the wind's embrace

With every movement I feel more awake and present.

Now I can look up at the dark sea and smile.

Because with every step,

I see a new star exploding in another galaxy,

Just for me, illuminating my way.

Only the wind knows of the storm around the corner,

And only I know how to dance in it.

Author's Note

One of my first poems since I started keeping journals. I decided to post it to hear an honest opinion. There is no real form that I am following in the poem. It is more of a free-verse.

Reviews

[Kaelyn B.]

I really love this. It's beautiful. I always found poetry difficult, and prose was more of my thing, but you definitely have the poet's quill. :)