He stands alert
Frozen 
Shocked by sudden enlightenment 
Unable to penetrate the terrible dawn
Unaware of the devastating truth 
Hidden behind that light 
And the horrible pain it carries with it

In the seconds he has 
Before life crashes down upon him
With unimaginable force
He worries for his doe
Who got off the path just ahead of him
She is the only reason he is here
It is his duty to protect her
To care for her
So he stands his ground

It is over 
In an instant
He doesn’t see his assailants face
Is denied the opportunity to defend 
Or to run
It is simply
Over

Now
Broken 
He struggles to stand
Stumbles
Falls
Gives up

As he lay there
Alone in a bed as large and empty as a desert
Surrounded by disjoined dreams
From a life that is only half his
His thoughts return
Again and again and again
To her
He hopes she will be okay
But he wonders why he followed her here

November 2020

Image by Philipp Pilz.

Published by J M Greff

J M Greff is the rambling author, trucker philosopher, peace loving hippie, spiritual warrior, backpacking pantheist, wandering minstrel, and poet fool who created A Caravan of One for you. View all posts by J M Greff