Howling Wilderness
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Written on June 16th, 2025 for Edward Ibeh's This or That, Vol 34 Poetry Contest, "Howling Wilderness".
Gnarled trees yawn under a starless sky
As a swift coldness mixes with the "howling wilderness,”
Crescendos until pure silence strangles the macabre atmosphere.
Preparing for the imminent journey, I place a slip of paper under an obsidian crystal,
Lay my favourite burgundy blouse upon a distressed bedframe.
The tick tock, tick tock of the clock cracks at 1:16 a.m.,
Stopping time in its tracks as the Harbinger draws near.
I gingerly, and without hesitation, kiss the love of my life on her forehead,
Careful not to wake her from her peaceful slumber.
No need for her to know that the last grains of sand are flowing through my hourglass.
When the dawn crests the fading indigo sky,
And the first birdsong of a new day floats through the breeze,
She will discover the heartbreak then.
But for now, just let her drift through dreamlands.
I don’t want to go, but my tenure in this existence is through.
I hear a knock—only I can hear—on the front door.
As I move slowly from room to room,
The unbearable physical pain dissolves.
I begin to feel so much lighter.
Opening the door, I look back at what I will leave behind.
He says, “Don’t worry, my child, you will be reunited with her in what feels like mere minutes,
For time as you know it doesn’t exist in the other realm.
Patience—peace everlasting is within reach.”
Copyright © Sara Jama | Year Posted 2025
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