Chasing Sunshine

When a wind
Starts to blow,
It sets in motion
The little things –
Dry leaves,
Plastic bags,
Paper,
And clothes
Let loose,
From their precarious perch
On a flimsy drying stand,
And of course, dust and sand
Lots of that.

The wind
Does not ask
To be followed.
It simply,
Sets things in motion –
It demands
To be followed,
And even the mighty,
The seemingly strong,
Are swayed by the currents
Of a ferocious wind,
That seeks to make
Its essence known,
On whichever path
It chooses
To blow on,
Leaving in its wake
The vestige
Of an upheaval.

Image Credit: Photo by Ian Livesey on StockSnap

The road is endless,
Dry and arid,
Not a touch of moisture,
Nor anything pleasant,
Such as shrubbery
By the sides,
Or the shadow cast
By a lonesome tree.

The going is tough –
The heat from the asphalt
Seeps into the soles
Of the travel weary feet,
Soaking the socks
As it barges in;
That sweat,
Is the only wet,
For miles on end,
On this endless stretch.

The sojourner,
Seemingly has no choice,
But to go on –
Although at times,
It seems pointless;
For where is the beginning
Of the end,
Of this journey?
They seem
Utterly clueless,
Nevertheless,
They keep walking
Because that
Is all they know.

The paint can tipped
Spilling paint
On the rock,
A fairly large blot
Of bright red,
A remarkable spot
Against a dark canvas,
Comfortable in its inlay.

Rain, hail and wind,
Sandstorms too,
Have lashed on the rock,
Since the fateful tipping,
Of the unsteady can,
But the bright red,
Has held on,
As only it can,
To its spot
On the rock.

The rock,
Once obscure,
Is now an eyesore,
Blemished,
Stained,
And extraordinarily
Out of place.

To be out of place,
Is to not belong,
Where does a rock go,
To find itself a home,
Bright red stain and all?

A solitary street lamp
Has not shone,
For days on end;
Just like the unlit windows
Of the house behind.
The neighbourhood
Has carried on,
Not noticing
The darkness,
That takes over
The comma in the making,
Come twilight preceding
Each summer evening.
Unless it smells,
Or maggots appear,
On the doorstep
And window sills,
Life will go on,
The same as before,
Except in this pocket
Of a permanent shadow,
Which is but
A fading reminder,
Of footprints that failed
To trace their way back home.