Once We've Passed Safely Through

I once read it in a book,
But I’ve never seen it with my own eyes,
Not that I’m one who denies
The chance to go have a look.

Guide us down through the deep woods,
Watching out for the Thura cats,
Now as we go take our chance,
Traveling south, wondering if we should.

Because I trust you, if he trusts you, if she trusts you
Now to run with us unimpeded,
And our contract is done and completed
Once we’ve gone and passed safely through.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 18.

The Sheer Fury

How do you express it?
That sheer fury at the terror of life,
When everything is just looking up,
And then you remember the ones
Who were left behind in the red
Dying sun of the northern sky.
The anger that comes in the warm night,
In the coldness of a scarred heart,
For the never ending distress of
A frightened mind in the dark waves.
Cheer above that frustration, I say,
But I can’t anymore as I lay
In bed and cry myself to sleep for those
That I left behind in the orange
Of the blazing moon of the starry field.
I scream out at you for justice
Because you’re the only one who listens
To everything I speak
And every pain my heart cries.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 17.

Running Toward

The low rumble of the world below us
Dreams of escape trying to rise up
Through the dust of our shaken day
With nowhere left to run but toward
The danger of the risk of exploding
Like a sunburst in the sky of clouds
Or the moonbeams in the drawing night
With starlight fading to shimmering points

Dried up salt lakes don’t worry me
When I know we started by climbing
Over the mountains to find the desert
The extreme lifeline to the wells beneath
But it ain’t for thirst that I dwell on
Finding a path to the screaming answer
That breaks down the boulders in our way
Or the trouble trembling up from the ground
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 16.

Still Leaping Heart

The oddest idea I can think of right now
Is that there might be romance in the stars,
With the way they dance in ordered spins,
Rising and falling as the night passes on.

In the lightless forest we linger for a moment,
The touch of your hand on my shoulder,
Making me wonder about purpose—
Can there be something great in such a small notion?

As the wind that passes through the trees,
So the thoughts rustle through my head
When I see you feeding my soul with your smile,
As warm as the broth that strengthens my limbs.

Twilight is still just enough illumination,
Even away from the hot fire we know we must kindle,
To see the honesty of a friend in the shadows,
And I trust you would catch, with ease, my still leaping heart.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 15.

Decision and Risk

I remain behind the safety
And comfort of what I have here,
Soft pillows and renewed strength
And the dissipation of my fear.

To stumble out into the green and gray
World of the unknown and unexplored,
It takes at least the confident urging
Of friends with assurance as they implored.

But it’s not from their reasoning
That I find myself convinced to take the risk,
But rather because of the call to explore
The possible paths to understanding this.

Health for myself and more importantly
The safety of those who surround me,
These must be the reasons that call
Me to travel back out among the trees.

I don’t know if it could possibly be the truth
Or the only path available for me,
But I will continue to carry on for the good
Whenever or not they mention prophecy.

And to explore must be the great call
That pulls me up from sleep to sunshine,
For the risk will be worth it if I can find
A way to help me and these friends of mine.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 14.

Can You Survive Who You Become?

So here we go into the bright sunrise
Floating waters toward the ceiling
Laughing for the renewed healing
Bring about a lifetime of learning newness
This amazing trial showing a promise
Of the incredible things around the bend
Where the corner is illuminated in dust
And the elderly are always on our side
The prophecies to tell us we can stand tall
In danger now that we know even more
But we have to tell her of the difficulty
Though what challenge has she not faced
Marching to the mountains and beyond
Fearing no more as the dark pain subsides
So lift up the curtain of our mystery
Find the answers at the smoking peak
Of how we might survive this circling fight

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 13.

Entering Pass Town

The yellow sun rises once again
over the dry terrain of this land.
So let’s rest for a little while,
if we can in such a sandy place.
Just enough water for the sparse green
and almost enough to satisfy.

Take what you need and don’t let them see,
if at night you take more than your share.
A people so friendly in this desert place,
until you want more of what is rightfully theirs.
Where we go next is a mystery yet,
but for now may this dust be called home.

With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 12.

To Create Such as This

The mountain ranges that rise to the sky
Or the great dark forests that spread the land
Running up to the lakes and rivers
Giving way to the wide salted ocean

To make such as these is far beyond me
And to imagine how to make the smallest leaf
Or the tiniest of specks of ash or sand
Is something for only the Creator to perceive

And to hand off this ability to those with strength
Is not something to take lightly
And is indeed surely full of impossibility
When all we can do is change what we already see

So destroy not, O my soul, for how difficult it is
For good things to be formed and remade
When the poison of wicked women and men
Comes stomping through this beautiful world

Thus may we carry on into the purple-orange sunset
Where golden treetops wave in the rising wind
Of life and good change beneath snow-capped heights
And crystal reflectors shining when starlight begins

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 11.