POETRY

The Courage to Step Through Falling Torrents

A poem

Photo by Utku Özen | @theutkuozen on Unsplash, modified by author.

Strangely familiar,
as if you have
escaped from a dream,
wrinkled and strafed
with the harshness of
your land and your history.

Distant cousin,
you are a chalice of gold,
a vessel of wine with
notes on the tongue
I could never identify.

You stand behind a waterfall,
and to see your face clearly
I need the courage to
step through falling torrents,
and trust in you that
I won’t be thrown against
the shards of rock
beneath my feet.