There Is a Land

THERE IS A LAND

There is a land, always near to me, 
I know so well,
A place, where the cycle of seasons 
Never fails to mark
Each succeeding year 
With its own special course.

When I am far from home, 
I remember every unregretted stage
Of my pilgrimage on those shores 
To the time when I first stepped 
Out, having long hid a shaming secret
Before final release from dark days.

The spirit of the land lies within me
Wherever I am present in the world. 

Through my presumed frailty I learned
To resist the relentless pressure
Of hostile familiarity and never veer
From the path of persistent
Self-discovery.

There is a land I know so well,
Always near to me. It is both my dawn,
When the sun climbs and draws across
The waking earth, and my dusk,
As the dim light falls back into
The shadows of a sleep
Which may be infinite. 

The spirit of the land lies within me,
Wherever I am present in the world.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

Poem

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