At Least For Today

“One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.” - Kahlil Gibran

The tension mounts and escalates

Abounding in friction and unease

The heart beats loud, breathing’s labored

Each resounding in a tempo rubato.

I’m terrified of where the hunt may lead.

Am I venturing into barren lands?

Will the road drag me to hell's furies

Or lift me toward the sun and skies?

Methinks it will likely be hell's furies

For my body already knows and rebels

With torrential sweats, dripping profusely

To the rhythmic thunder of my heart -

Like white noise, hissing and reverberating,

To drown all else, precluding the chance

To find what remains of my sanity.

*

An ocean carries a multitude of sorrows -

Floods, rise and fall until gaining strength -

All that is safe and warm succumbs,

Joining the ebbing sea’s motion,

While I remain rooted to the shoreline

Firm footed in the clutches of the sand

As the tide weaves in and out in synchrony.

Darkness, looming all too close for comfort,

Threatens the fragile shell of my existence.

My mouth opens, harboring a hunter's howl,

But no sound escapes save the emptiness

Of a lone, residual breath caught in the wind.

Stumbling, teetering on the edge of an abyss,

Tears fall unabashedly and soak the ground.

*

A breeze lingers amidst encroaching darkness

In the dimness, I stretch out a hand, longing to

Capture its essence and rebelliously resisting

Capitulation to the enemy forces at play.

The breeze whispers, hardly discernable,

But I know it’s there, and I follow its existence.

A glimmer of hope surges, caught in my chest,

Able to flood and dispel the scourge of futility.

In the skip of a thought, breath, and heartbeat,

The hunt reaches a pivotal climax:

I am reminded just how worthy I am.

With dawning enlightenment, strength infuses,

A gift given enabling me to rise to the task.

A battle cry screeches from the depth of my lungs

I am ready to slay dragons, fears, and insecurities.

The gift, embellished with a keen third eye sight,

Thrusts the sword, steady and well-placed, in my hand.

I am ready to fight this battle to the death.

*

My feet are no longer encumbered on shore

I shake them free of doubts and entanglements.

Turning my back obtrusive darkness, I begin

The long road is well-lit, guiding me to distant lands.

My breath evens and my heartbeat steadies,

Resplendent in a rhapsody of replenished foresight,

Encapsulated by the hunt and life's possibilities.

I have won the battle and the hunt.....

An ongoing, incessant search for which

I must always be on alert and ready to conquer.

Yes, I am a warrior, strong and proud,

Hear my roar echo across the hills:

I have conquered the hunt and battle.....

At least for today…..