Howling Wilderness
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June-22- 2025
This or That- Vol.34. Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Edward Ibeh
When wanderlust began pounding my heart,
On a beautiful autumn afternoon, crisp and sunny,
I set out on a trek to the nearby woods.
The leaves on trees had begun turning ruddy.
All along, I saw ripening fruits and wild herbs,
And paused to take pictures, but kept moving.
No doubt, it was a rewarding experience.
The lure of the unknown seemed bewitching.
From the cluster of flowers on a sprawling tree,
The wind wafted a rare exotic smell divine.
I heard the twitter of chirping sparrows.
Could spot large squirrels with striped design.
Proceeding further, heard a gurgling sound.
It must be a small cataract, I did suppose
My guess was right. It fell off a rock and ran into a stream,
With murmur enough to lull one to sweet repose.
Feeling happy over my progress without hitch,
Listening to the soft cajoling of birds,
And the confused drone of honey bees,
I walked playfully stamping on the weeds.
By the time, I reached half the way,
The forest fell into darkness earlier to sunset.
It shattered my peace and blotted out my sight
That I started running wild, feeling violently upset.
I knew I had strayed far off the accustomed path.
Saw the dark sky above, heard a foreboding owl’s hoot.
My path was severely obstructed by a tangle of creepers.
Feeling puzzled, I could hear the loud thump of my heart.
I felt lost, so lost in my way and in my head,
I suspected there were monsters all around me.
And the gut- wrenching knowledge that there was no help
With chances of getting out, not at all a guarantee.
Under a thicket, covered with brambles,
I saw a sudden movement as that of a beast
And was afraid to look over my shoulders,
Lest I might behold some blood sucking bat.
My teeth smashed and my knees smote
I swooned unable to think or act, hear or see
For how long I lay there in a trance, not sure
When I woke, I saw myself lying at the foot of a tree.
On my body, I felt the stinging pain of bug bites
Finding deep scratches all over me, I did sigh.
But to my relief, I saw the sun beams filtering down,
And an orange tint streaming across the foggy sky.
Through thistles and thorny shrubs, I tried to find my way
Forgetting the aches in my body from cuts and bruises,
I walked in panic as the wild whimpered making me hysterical.
At last by sheer luck, got out of that howling wilderness.
Copyright © Valsa George | Year Posted 2025
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