Forbidden Places Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

There are places I won’t go
Caves not meant for me to know
Layers couched in hidden veils
Ragged sailors’ phantom tales

There are fountains hid from view
Rustling in a thickened dew
Coursing out of sacred sites
Etched in ruins of primal rites

There are sights I must not see
Paths of prisoners who flee
Refugees with knotted sacks
Bulging on their sweaty backs

There are faces very rare
Shaped by years of pain and care
Eyes I would not dare to meet
Hallowed hands and timeworn feet

I won’t stand on holy ground
Nor approach a hallowed mound
Seeking for a rock or word
Few have ever seen or heard

May I wander close to home
Fill my shoes with sandy loam
Never look beyond the fence
Shunning danger’s recompense

Let this be my only goal
Eating gruel from a bowl
In a little wayside spot
Daily welcoming my lot

Let me relish each small breath
Feel my pulse averting death
Thankful for each moment’s hue
Ever giving You Your due.