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The Traveler
I walked along a dusty road,
The night was long and cruel and cold.
When suddenly upon the path,
I came across a speck of gold.
I picked it up in sheer delight,
And stumbled to a broken inn.
Yet when I asked to stay the night,
The keeper wouldn’t let me in.
He would not take the speck of gold
In fact, he looked quite unimpressed,
“Though pure and good, it can’t be sold,”
He said, “—So small it’s valueless.”
So I was thrown back to the road,
And turned away from warmth and light.
And I was lost and cold and scared,
Forgotten child of the night.
And so I stumbled on my way,
The path ahead was dark and bleak.
Did no one see my silent tears?
—Abandoned child, lost and weak.
But something urged me to go on,
A voice inside that always said,
“No matter what you must stay strong”
—A speck of gold inside my head.
So many fears I fought away,
And faced the demons in my mind.
They could not dare lead me astray,
If I stayed patient, calm and kind.
And when at last the dawn broke through,
Straight up ahead, what did I see?
A golden palace laced with light,
And there stood God awaiting me.
And I fell trembling at His feet,
How did I ever doubt His plans?
But God just laughed and raised me up,
And took the gold speck from my hands.
I realized that it was the same
As that grand palace where I stood
With walls that shone like righteous flames
And simply made, both pure and good.
He said, “I let you tarry there,
Back at the inn so long ago.
For I was waiting here for you,
And now my child, you are home.”
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Sunrise
Today I watched the Sun rise for the first time in my life,
I thought it’d be an epic burst of color and of light.
I waited for that instant when the world would start aglow,
With blazing streaks of red and gold, a striking fire show.
But actually the dawn floats in on silent sleepy wings,
And coats the world in creamy hues of gentle silver rings.
So when the Sun rose softly up I couldn’t help but think,
How gingerly he brushed the sky and turned it rosy pink.
The pearly mist was scattered into drops of golden dew,
And silently the amber dawn gave way to robin blue.
You sit and watch the darkness fade away from growing light,
The losing shadows must retreat from angels dressed in white.
If you are ever lonely then just wake up with the Sun,
That moment takes you higher—more than any other one.
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Shindy Cai resides in upstate New York and works as a professional classical dancer for Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Shindy, I enjoyed your poem about the traveler’s journey, and it reminded me in theme of this one by Christina Rossetti:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45002/up-hill
For people’s reference:
Up-Hill
By Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
These are two precious poems that delight the senses.
The poem “Sunrise” looks good for at least the celestial god Helios in the pantheon of the written teachings by Plethon.
Shindy, your “Traveler” is well-told fable about the value of just one speck of gold. And a clear and flowing narrative that transcends the traveler’s doubt and struggles.
“Sunrise” presents beautiful thoughts in grand pageantry of color. I too like these moments of the day, and I especially remember a few times when I went to the seashore to watch the sun come up over gentle waves. You are right about the soft and slow progress of light when waiting through an hour or so of dawn, but when the sun finally appears, it takes only a minute or two to clear the horizon. It’s not quite an “epic burst,” though always impressive, and satisfying to one who confidently expects it. Your first time was, indeed, inspiring!