A faint glow of hope

The flood began to pour into the rivers,

seeping into each vein.

Stumbling in the bush without protection,

As I followed the path muddied with rain.

Each breath I took turned to steam.

My body an engine, an unstoppable force.

Trying to reach my destination.

Trying to get back to civilisation.

I’d stumbled,

I’d fall.

Felt helpless.

Felt nothing at all.

So desperate I’d push on,

and climb another ridge.

Trying not to slip on the loose earth.

Right now I could use a beer from the fridge!

On a path I’d never taken before,

wrapped in darkness,

and broken hearted.

And for a time I knew what love was for.

And then you see it,

but you don’t quite believe it.

You think it could just be an insect.

A faint glow becoming more persistent.

When you realise what it is,

and all it represents.

It’s like being wrapped in a gift of love,

and every birthday coming at once.

To you it’s just a lantern.

Something to put on the porch.

To those of us leaving the wilderness,

It’s a beacon, a fire, a torch.

The promise that all your troubles will be over,

That civilisation is just around the corner.

It’s hope for a brighter future,

and that I got the house in the divorce.