By Monica C. Voskamp
I wandered through the
Falling leaves of autumn gold
The smell of earth rose like smoke
Enticing my nose to breathe deeply.
Sunlight filtered through the trees
Sending reflections of glittering.
But I drifted farther down the trail
I left the leaves of golden hue
And wandered into the thickness
Of thorny wild underbrush.
Curiosity struck wild in me
At the glimpse of a passing shadow.
Compelled I got down in the dirt
Torn the fleshy skin on my knees
As I pushed through rubbled stony ground,
Another flash of movement caught my eye.
Dark was coming and I should’ve turned back.
But curiosity struck wild in me.
What could those shadows be?
Much too late, I realized I was only chasing
A gust of old autumn leaves that crackled
With fragility and the smell of growing mould.
Nothing of beauty like the hanging petals of gold.
I scraped my way out only to find
My body covered in darkness.
The sunshine was gone.
A deep ache throbbed my knees.
The air breathed out shivers of cold.
I suddenly realized I was in the dark
Lost, and worse, I wasn’t sure
If I was really alone.
The realization was much too late
And my screams for help couldn’t change
Curiosity from revealing it’s darker side
Betraying and making a fool of me.
© 2020 MONICA C. VOSKAMP
Always hope. Always believe. Always love. ❤
*Photo Credit: Photo by Tom Wheatley on Unsplash