Here Begins Your Journey On The Sledge. Poem by Sarah Mkhonza

It is a bumpy journey,
When you are led by two,
Four, six or so animals,
That pull together only
When the ground is flat,

It is a lonely journey,
When you have not packed,
A few friends to journey with,
On the same route that you have chosen,
For to choose to go, is to choose to,
Journey all the same.

You cannot run forever,
From the cold that hits you,
And penetrates into the depth,
Of the soul you are taking far,
The sun shines and dims yet again,
As you go on to unknown horizons.

The friends who cheer you now,
Will not be there tomorrow,
For their thoughts wonder,
About the space so blurred,
And want to see what you keep
Showing them in the yonder,
Where you go foot sore.

Keep your eyes open at night,
The stars are looking at you,
Opening up and shutting down,
As they dash in your skies,
Wondering if you see the way,
The way they see it.

Your call is further than this,
It takes you to worlds far away,
As far as the world of your dreams,
Where you see demons green and furious,
Leaning towards you as they surface,
Out of the leafy forest floors,
To scare you if your heart is faint.

The journey continues to be bumpy,
Your sledge hits a stone and you hurt,
As you get thrown up and down in jumps,
That cause hiccups and yelling,
That tells the world you are alive,
For such is life on this journey,
Where prisoners of life tell you,
That is the way it goes here.

You listen to mockery displeased,
And swear never to mock someone,
Who undertakes a pilgrimage,
To a Mecca they do not know,
Except only in books of old,
Only to be told the journey ends here.

Believe for you started out,
And hope for you had faith,
And strength to try alone,
With the friends who abandon,
A cause so lofty that it is undertaken
By those whose eyes have holes in them,
That gleam the future forever,
And say the journey continues,
Until the breath says, 'No you anymore'.
Give us the sledge and we will walk away,
With your animals and leave you here,
Where your dream ends
The trail continues,
For we know it better
Having lived it for years,
And seen more like you.