In A Far Off Place Poem by Mark Boyle

In a far off place,
Down a long country road,
I came upon a path,
Where it went I did not know.

Through the long tangled grass,
Through the wire that was once a fence,
I crawled and I climbed,
Through each barrier, so dense.

Pushing on through the scrub,
The wire clawing my skin,
Each vine and viscous thorn,
Attempting to keep me from within.

My drive was assured;
I now, could not be stopped.
I must know the secrets to all the things,
In this place that had been lost.

Memories of places, faces I had know.
Friends and family, some now distant,
Some now far from home.
The pieces that had been lost,
From the fabric of my mind.
Perhaps had ended here,
Behind this barrier of vines.

What drove me to this place?
Down this path,
I did not know.
Leaving the safety of my friends,
My family.
And my home.

Perhaps we all need to walk down,
A path we have not been.
Even if those lost memories we seek,
Are lost and gone,
Never to be seen.

Will I find the answers to my questions?
Will my needs be met with calm.
Will I traverse this hidden world?
And return to mine, unharmed.

As I venture deeper onward,
Consumed by forces unknown.
I leave behind an afternoon walk,
Down a lonely country road.

But to my back I hear a calling,
Like a voice from a distant time.
My faithful dog is fearful,
Warning me to return, as he demands.



Mans best friend some may call them.
To me he had saved my life.
With his bark ringing in my ears
I turned away from my useless plight.

I turn my back to my urges,
And the dark forces that called me here.
I close my ears to the gentle voice,
That says he will calm my fears.

With more strength than I thought possible.
More effort than I thought I owned.
I turned amidst the wire and tangle,
And ploughed back towards my home.

With hair all filled with burrs,
My skin all scratched and scared,
I emerged on that dusty road
And lay there, heaving for breath
So hard.

My face was licked and nuzzled.
He was sure I had been lost.
Mans best friend now seemed the master,
And I the useless mutt.

I used him to get upright,
And hobbled down the road.
I no not what dark force drove me in there,
But I was happy to be home.

And as the moon rises that evening,
My thoughts are clear and true.
What would have become of me.
If I continued to plough right through.

Perhaps this is what has become
Of so many people who stray.
Vanishing without a trace.
Until their body is found one day.

I know now darkness is a force,
With dark, deep pleasures to lure.
It drew me in that afternoon.
As I took that deadly tour.

And as I lay here, safe and sound,
In my bed all safe and snug.
My dog lay silently at my side.
My head still overcome.

Was I really taken,
My mind swept far away.
I’m safe is all I can think of.
It was not my time to go today.