THE CITY OF BURDEN
AND OF THE BURDENED
GO EXPLORING.
Your old life seems a distant memory
There’s nothing worth returning to
“If I ever get out of here
I’ll go far, far away
And never come back.”
You had always meant to travel
You never found the time
Once at a tavern
Before the Contagion
A wizened sailor regaled you
With stories of his glory days
In distant lands across the sea
And the desert beyond
Where the caravaneers eat crimson flowers
Drink fermented milk
And love is given freely
He leaned in closer
Spraying sour breath of mead and age
“They hold no gods
They have no shame
How I envy them!”
His eyes wandered
Playing out a warm, familiar scene
His toothless smile spreading
Later he begged you for a coin
As you marched stoically toward the tower’s gates
You didn’t dare meet his gaze
Just kept walking briskly
As the sound of wheezing
And crying
And coughing
Waned behind you
There must be a land
Where people walk freely
Where there is hope and
Adventure and
Love
And when the ships return
That is where you’ll go
But there’s nothing more you can do tonight
You watch the sunset over the empty harbor
Life must go on