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