Reeds Of A Traveller Poem by Ezio Olubelleau

A traveller broke his reeds in words,
and to the elders, he said:

Sometimes I think I could
hear the unspoken beats of a heart,
or something pulling me apart.
I feel I would be strong enough
to stomach any downpour—
that I could leave these
baggage aside in a day or two,
to let the thought of it drift through.
But no.

I have tolled many lands,
I have taken another lover,
I have listened to the wise ones,
and though they did not forbid me.

Saying:

"Do not tread the walk
that leads into darkness."
I obeyed.

Saying:

"Do not go barefoot
upon the brittle path."
I obeyed.

Saying:

"Do not chase emotions
that were never meant to last."
I obeyed.

Yet still the night found me,
and still the silence of loneliness
grinned at my bones.

And the name—
it kept coming.
and coming.
and drumming.

The heart is a vacuum,
filled with consciousness,
and I do not call the wise foolish,
but the heart travels where it wills.
I am a traveller myself, and be as it may,
I do not announce my arrival.