Independence

By Mauurya Desai

I walk through the barren fields full of soil and rock,

With two stilts under my arms and rags shielding my skin.

Perspiring under the hot and flaming sun as the doves in the sky flock,

As my feet bare the rough ground and the soul ever slowly melts from within.

All that nature gave once was shed under a tree and the fruits in it,

For all the other comforts I hope and keep trudging ahead.

The true supplements that the mind provides; determination and grit,

Which gives some hope for an uneven horizon and distract from the cuts on the feet which bled.

My legs feel like they are moving involuntarily as I keep toiling northward,

All that I bank on is my body and inertia to keep me moving.

I keep in my mind as incentive; an image of a beautiful world,

Where the birds harmonize and the buds keep blooming.

Finally, I observe a few noticeable smudges in the fine line of the horizon appear,

The legs pacing up the promenade into a lightning whip.

The smudges become colorful and the distortions a bit clear,

Hinting the end of the coarse land and the beginning of a new strip.

I arrive at the horizon revealing the colorful padded flowerbed,

The air brushes by my face abating the panting and sweat.

I let go of my stilts and stand still on the barren land,

I feel a flower brush against my toe and look ahead to a future unplanned.

I take my first step onto the multicolor petals and moist soil,

My torso and legs feeling a sense of relief and calm.

I inevitably let go of myself and on the soft ground I rustle around and moil,

The flowers comfort my body, with pain abating and happiness alarmed.

My body stirs up a new feeling, something I haven’t experienced before,

It spreads through my entire system, an energy so lively and momentous.

I realize that it was the fantasy I always dreamt about and never felt,

But now I have it, a sudden swarm of independence.

By Mauurya Desai