The Maze

An analogical epic poem I wrote about an intense experience I went through with a former close friend of mine. Enjoy!

There we were,

a pair of inseparable

young souls,

blissfully skipping

through the tall

and viney garden

maze

Our hearts were

full of promise

back then,

and there existed

within us an

unwavering sense

of hope and loyalty

that begged for

forever 

At least I did

I was your handicap,

a blind and ignorant

fool

who lacked direction

without hearing the

sound of your footsteps

beside me,

to give me security

and a crutch to fall

back on

Without your gentle hand

to guide me,

I knew I would potentially

crumble,

in my dreadful lack

of perception

And crumble I did

 

You led me to

the fountain

in the center of

the maze,

where my faith

in us still flourished

in its wishful state

You sung me to sleep

with your sweet lullaby,

a most peaceful slumber

if there ever was one,

and it let my dreams

give me one last

glimpse of limbotic

paradise,

before waking up

to a world

of sudden betrayal

 

As the clouds turned

to gray,

in a mass that covered

the once blissful

afternoon sun,

I let my hands take over

the role of my eyes,

patting the ground

in search of my

sighted companion

But I soon realized

you weren't there,

and I called your name

in isolated trepidation,

hoping to God

that you were still near

 

Your voice answered back

with a reassurance

meant to defuse,

telling me you were

only a few strides away

But there was an

absence of depth,

of concern

in your voice,

as you encouraged me

to step forward

with no arms to

catch me,

and no insight of

surrounding dangers

And as I stood up

and took each hesitant,

terrified step,

I could feel your

voice growing more

and more distant,

despite your insistent

promise that you'd

make your way back

to my side

 

Soon you were gone

completely,

and I could no longer

hear you

I was left there,

to my, all the more

weakened defenses

Left to wallow in

paranoia,

to recoil in deep-seated

anger

Asking to myself why,

why did this have

to happen?

How could you have been

so cowardly,

so as to not tell me

of your departure?

For you see,

there was no way it

could've been said

nicely

But the least you

could've done,

was simply to be kind

and save me from

the torment of deceit

 

Somewhere in the vastness

of the puzzling twists

and turns,

I made my way

to new territory

I cried out one last time,

knowing you wouldn't say

anything in return,

but holding out for the

unlikely chance of redemption

And when I heard a

voice not too far away,

one that wasn't yours

but one that gave me

enough of my hope back,

I started running

toward the sound

 

I stumbled

in the rush of

excitement,

from forgetting,

even just for

a moment,

my disadvantage,

my lack of a

fallback

Because I had

a sense of potential

that this voice,

right in front of me,

would be my new

source of solace

following the bitter

betrayal

that was left in my wake

I was ready for a new beginning

 

The stranger rushed over

and caught hold of

my arms

to halt the loss of

my balance

I heard their low,

comforting voice as I

crashed into their embrace,

telling me everything

was okay,

that I was safe now

And I wasn't sure if it

was the hope talking,

but somehow I knew that,

from that moment on,

the torture was over

They guided me over

to a nearby stump,

their sensitive hands

supporting me all the way,

their soft voice uttering

encouraging words

with every step forward

And all the while,

they never left my side

 

As I took my seat

in front of the campfire,

with their hands still

holding onto me

to ensure I didn't

stumble and fall,

they took the liberty

of offering me

something hot to drink

I graciously accepted,

overwhelmed by this

stranger's complete and

utter kindness,

and within half

a minute,

my shivering palms were

welcomed by a small

cup of fresh tea

 

I then felt the all-encompassing

warmth of a soft blanket

being placed around me,

as the stranger proceeded to

inquire about my injuries,

whether they were the

bruises from the numerous

falls, in my journey

through the confusing avenues

of the maze,

or the unseen scars

left on my heart

And as I rehashed all

the heartaches of the

tumultuous event,

taking a sip of tea

here and there

to calm my heightened nerves,

a single thought entered

my head,

and for the first time,

I came to recognize

the stranger

as none other

than my inner voice

 

And with that,

a sense of peace

began to flow over me,

and I no longer

held onto, the desire

to know why you left,

to be reassured

of a presence

outside of myself,

to rely on, for all things

and blame for all misfortune

Because that presence

that I desired,

that promise of love and

belonging,

had been inside of me

all along

Author's Note

Have you ever gone through something like this? If so, how did you deal with it?