THE DUSTY ROAD part3

THE DUSTY ROAD……............................
(the forlorn desert)
I am an old man now,, and very cautious I have become…
But it was of course not always so… For a great wanderer
I once was,, when I was a much younger man,, but now,,
I am perhaps too cautious and perhaps I want to be too safe,,
and sure of things now,, perhaps that’s why I lost her,,
many many years ago,, perhaps I should have been a little
more adventurous and not so safe,, maybe she’d be here now
with me,, in my golden age… I don’t know…
But the story of me and her shall have to wait for another day...

Today I shall tell you of when I did a very very foolish thing…
But I was much younger then and so sure was I,, and confident
of myself,, I did a very foolish thing indeed,, but I survived
as you can plainly see,, but I would not,, had it not been for another…

I had started from the coast many months and weeks ago,,
on to travel east I wanted to go… To be free of my everything and
just head east,, to the very next coast,, and when I would arrive
at that very eastern coast… A rest would I take,, for awhile,,
to look back at the miles that I had crossed and to remember the
days past that I had seen,, and then I thought,, I would gather up all
my worldly things,, and head for home,, for home again,, aboard
some westward bound train… And this I did,, after a year and more
of wandering across this great land…This I did,, or I would not
be telling you my story now…

I had wandered about for some time now,, viewing the sites and
just goin about,, in no hurry was I,, for I knew what my future was
when I got off this dusty road and then finally back home…
I wanted to go forth and see what it was,, out there before,,
I became one of the 9-5ers,, stuck in my cubical all day,, waiting
for time to past,, and then head home… I wanted to see
and remember what was just over the next horizon,, before
a desk and family did chain me from my wandering…
Perhaps I just wanted to exhaust myself of this wonderlust,, that
was driving me so...
Thru the valleys and forests and meadows I had wondered…
And unto the mountains did I climb and thru them too…
Now it was upon a mountain there that I first saw what lay
ahead of me,, from up high I could plainly see it below…
A vast brown nothingness was stretched out before me,,
and thru it this dusty road I was apon did go…

I saw it coming,, ever getting nearer and nearer as I walked
upon this dusty road,, and I had time to think of what to
do,, to cross the brown nothingness of desert that loomed
before me...
I had time to prepare,, and to gather what supplies
I could and to harden my mind for the road that lay just ahead…
A vast brown nothingness of desert did this dusty road pass thru…
So I gathered what I could,, bottles a plenty from along the road,,
and fill them I did when I came upon some forgotten brook,,
and biscuits I made,, almost every day,, to feed me as
I crossed the nothingness... Prepared I thought I was,,
but I was very very foolish then,, and way too brave…

Now I came apon its edge about noon I suppose,, and there the
dusty road did split,, to the right it went,, around the nothingness,,
and also did it go straight thru,, until I lost its’ sight…
A decision had to be made upon that day,, go to the right and travel
along what surely must be the safe way,, or to keep traveling
straight along this dusty road,, thru the vast expanse before me…
Now it was noon as I have said,, and I was in no hurry…
So I unrolled my cot and decided to stay this day upon
this spot until the morning hour,, I would ponder the course
I should take and what could be my fate upon either one
of these dusty roads…

Day one….the edge of nothingness…
One step and then another and then another did I go,,
straight forward I had decided it would be,, upon this dusty road…
I am a young man,, firm and fit,, and provisions I have a plenty,,
for this trip... For surely it will not take but a couple of days maybe
three to pass-thru this emptiness,, and many have gone before me,,
straight thru they did go,, or the road would not be here so,,
beneath my feet…

Now a desert can be a beautiful place if one should visit it during the
cooler days of winter,, but it is early summer now and the sun rises
very early and sets very late,, so there is scarcely anything about

this place that would inspire awe and wonder,, all dried and

dusty it is,, with prickly brushes and prickly weeds that I had not

counted upon,, when first I chose to venture straight on…

The sun seems to be always over head,, and the heat it casts is

nothing that one should take lightly,, I am glad for my hat,, at least

it gives my eyes some shade,, and just a little does it cool my brow,,

but this place is much to dry a place for me,, too arid,, too without life…

Day three….the sand wrapped hours…
This desert is much wider than I thought it was,, it had looked

much smaller when I did look upon it from that hillside,,

much smaller indeed… For three days now I have trekked and

trekked,, and no end in sight do I see,, I expected to have crossed

it by now,, and to be walking along some hidden green valley…
It is much larger than I bargained for,, perhaps I should turn back
from whence I came,, and start again on that road that went to

the right... Three days back and now more would I have to go,,

for I am very tired now,, maybe it would be quicker to keep on

straight ahead,, the green meadows can not be far from me now,,

if I just keep forging straight ahead…

Damn dust and sand,, it gets into everywhere,, into everything does
it get,, I must have 3 lbs in each of my shoes,, and I do empty them
every night... My biscuits that I made for this journey are worthless
to me now,, too hard,, for even abite,, all the moisture has left them,,

rocks they are,, no good to me at night,, but I’m not hungry anyway,,

just very tired… I have covered my face with a handkerchief to

block out some of this dammed dust,, but it does little good,,

my eyes must be a frightful sight,, I can barely keep them open

during the day,, so full of dust and sand they are,, I am very tired

of this trek… How much farther can it be?? My clothes scratch

and sting me upon every movement that I do make,, so full of salt

from my sweat and sand is in every fiber,, it scratches and itches

me even in the night,, I am very tried of this trek…
The prickly brushes and prickly weeds are growing thinner now,,
not so plentiful are they along my path,, less they have become,,
I wonder why…

Day five….the empty...
I do not sleep much during the deserts night,, to tired am I,,

too weary,, and I ache in every joint and muscle,, my very skin

it does hurt me so… And the desert nights are much colder than

they should be,, considering what heat is made each day... But I

have trodded on,, forever do I go,, it can not be far now...

What day is this??
How many days have I been upon this desert road??

I came upon it during the mid-morning hours,, staggering I was
with my eyes half closed and looking only down upon the dusty

ground… A crunching sound did I make when each foot did hit the

ground,, a strange crunching,, that I had not heard before in this
desert… Not the swooshing sandy sound that I had been making

for these many days now,, just a hard crunching sound,, it did

wake me from my mindless numbing steps… So I halted where

I stood,, and tried to look closer with my half baked eyes upon this

crunchy ground,, all cracked and broken it was,, no sand this time,,

only sun baked earth,, void of any kind of moisture that might be

in the ground… I raised my head to see what lie ahead of me…
Empty it was,, empty,, empty… No prickly brushes and no prickly

weeds,, empty it was,, except for some passing tumbleweeds and

in the distance I could see dustdevils dancing in the daylight…

Empty,, empty,, empty,, as far as I could see… Empty…

I am done now… I can not cross this… And I can not go back…
I am done now… How much water do I have left?? Only 2 ½
bottles left to cross this great empty,, not enough for me…
I am done… I stagger forward now,, numb have I become…
Forward,, forever forward… I am done… My pack and my supplies

drag behind me now,, tied to some misbegotten rope,, they have

become to heavy for me to carry thru this empty…

What day is this??... Where am I??... What place is this??...

I am done… Only a forlorn hope have I in my mind…

Ever forward must I go…
Who am I??...

Day seven….the end…
I stumble and crawl now thru the big empty… Forever forward,,
just a little more… My body is spent,, only my mind lingers on,,
only a faint flicker it is… I am done… I can move no more…
I lay upon the sun baked ground,, waiting for the winged angels to
come for me… I am spent,, no more can I go on…

I was a young man once… firm and fit,, and provisions I had

a plenty… But now I just lay here listening to my breathing sound

upon this desert floor… I can move no more…

“GET UP,, GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET MORE”,,
“GET UP,, GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET AT A TIME”,,
“GET UP,, GET UP,, YOU ARE NOT DONE WITH THIS

DUSTY ROAD YET”,, “GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET AT A TIME”,,
Who am I??... What place is this??...
“GET UP,, GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET MORE”,,
My mind can not focus on this sound… But I have heard that

voice before… I lift my head and rest my chin upon the desert

ground… To see where from that sound does come…
“GET UP,, GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET AT A TIME”,,
I can not focus,, my eyes will not adjust,, only a blurred figure

do I see just before me now… Perhaps the angels have come

for me,, to guide me thru heavens gates...

A strange sound now surrounds me,, a sound I have hear once

before… A sound from many months ago,, when I started upon this
dusty road… I can faintly recall it now… I raise myself unto my

knees to see better this figure before me,, and then back unto the
ground I fall… I am done,, I can go no farther…
“GET UP,, GET UP,, YOU ARE NOT DONE WITH THIS

DUSTY ROAD YET”,, “GET UP,, JUST TEN FEET AT A TIME”,,
With the very last ounce of me,, I do stagger to my feet…
JUST TEN FEET MORE”,, JUST TEN FEET AT A TIME”,,
I stagger forward,, stumbling but ever forward this one last time…
Staggering,, my mind focused on following that strange sound,,
that I had heard many months before,, staggering,, staggering,,
to where I do not know… I do not know how long I followed that
sound or how far I did stumble…

And when I awoke,, perhaps the very next day,, maybe two,,

who can say… I found myself laying awash in a tiny cool

mountain brook…
I let the cool water cascade over me for what seemed like hours…
Letting it cool my mind and body,, letting it wash away the desert

sand… I lay there until almost the twilight hour,, and then I did
arise,, survived I did,, that trek upon the desert’s dusty road…
But very very foolish I was,, and when I came unto the grassy bank,,
this is what I did find,, 2 dozen handmade biscuits and some

honey jam to fill my aching stomach,, and yes there upon the

ground I did find,, 3 packets of tea,,

just as he had left them for me,, once before ....................