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submitted into "Premier VII Open Poetry Contest," Rob Carmack, Sponsor

ARRIVING AT EL PASO © Sara Etgen-Baker 2025

Some 20+ years ago, hubby and I took up roots, moving across the entire state of Texas for the hope of a better future.  This poem attempts to capture my initial thoughts upon our arrival. (Yes, our future was better.) 

The road, a ribbon of asphalt, unfurls beneath my tires,
     each mile a memory, each turn a question—
          what does it mean to arrive?

The sun dips low, casting long shadows over the desert,
     here the horizon bleeds into the sky—
          a canvas of ochre and rose. 

The Franklin mountains rise like sentinels.
     I wonder what pilgrims have crossed these rugged trails,
          what hearts have beat against the same blazing sun.

The air is thick with dust and promise,
     the scent of sunbaked earth
          mingling with the faintest trace of rain.

Dust dances in the twilight, 
     and I am caught in the rhythm of it all,
          the pulse of this border town.

El Paso, where the Rio Grande river flows,
     a silver ribbon dividing yet uniting
          two cultures, two languages, two countries.  

I stand here in the embrace of El Paso,
     feeling the weight of possibility and 
          the quiet promise of tomorrow.

Twilight descends, stars emerge~
     tiny pinpricks of light 
          against the deepening blue.

I am a traveler in a world,
     one that feels both foreign
          and achingly familiar.

The weight of arrival settles on my shoulders—
     not just a place, but a moment,
          a step into the warmth of a new beginning.

Alas, I am a sojourner, a seeker of stories
     finding my way in this city of
          bridges, border crossings, and arrivals.

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