Tunnels cut through a mountain chain,
an unending chain,
a chain that binds;
that twists and turns on itself again,
delivering pain
and darkness that blinds.
At the end of each there is a hope,
a ray of light to which you grope.
When you reach it at tunnel’s end
the next begins as if to portend
the coming of others, unending nights.
The mouth of one the other bites.
As you slip into this endless void
you turn right back trying to avoid
the pitch of blackness and faster than fast,
your wheels turn and pistons thrust,
until the image of the turning wheel
first slows down and then stands still.
It starts again, but spinning back
taking you deeper into the black.
Your whole life becomes this blur,
past, present, future become a slur
and the yearn for eternal rest
becomes a fantasy, a dream at best.
Tunnels cut through a mountain chain,
an unending chain,
a chain that binds,
that twists and turns through another plain
through the living brain
of unsound minds.
They tried to name me from a borrowed book,
To smooth my edges with a foreign sound.
But my name is a seed that my grandmother took
From the red earth, and planted in the ground.
It grew with the rhythm of the summer rain,
A melody only the old roads know.
It holds the quiet strength of the mountain chain,
And the story only the river’s flow can show.
They speak of futures written in distant stars,
Of paths that lead away from this red loam.
But my soul is rooted where the scarred earth bears
The fingerprints of all who call it home.
So when I speak, hear the dust of ancestors,
Feel the fire of a timeless, patient sun.
My name is not just sound—it is a compass
That finds its north only where I am from.
I carry the calabash, I carry the song,
A bridge between the future and the long, long gone.
Would one want to attempt to claim
The land atop these mountains?
Or just enjoy the view from afar
And play in the lakes and fountains?
Although some would agree
That is not worth the time and patience
But who are they to decide one’s fate?
They are not your masters or agents
Climb that treacherous mountain chain
And never look back down the cliffs
For all that will become of that
Are the repeating ‘Buts’ and ‘Ifs’
If you begin to lose your hope
Do not let go of the dream
Use your heart to guide your strength
The climb is not as unfeasible as it seems
Once you reach that highest peak
Look back at the world and smile
For the mountain you have claimed as yours
Could be wanting you to stay forever in a while
Neptune grant me leave
To build a causeway
Across your waters
A barrier reef
To connect two souls
Thor's hammer strong
Will smite these rocks
No mountain chain
Will I endure
Until I
Hold you close
And can kiss
The tears
From your
Cheeks
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.