A Walk to Remember....

How can I describe it....a feeling of of exhilaration, wonderment, hope perhaps? A sense of tranquillity and at the same time a stirring, like a beam of light shining on the suspended imagination of my everyday being. How do I start to talk about what beautiful things I saw through my tired eyes , what delicate aromas filled the breeze that blew through my unkempt hair, how I heard the prettiest sounds that can break a silence. I try to talk about them, but can I hold those feelings that filled my veins for split seconds, hold them in the cup of my hand and pour them into the well of thoughts for other kindred souls to discover? Or should I just keep them hidden in a corner, cover them with a shadow, revel inwards with the ghost of a longing, a secret not revealed? Are they even of consequence to anyone but me?

But I have to hurry, before I drop those tiny pearls, and they spill out of my hands and disappear into the depths of the orange twilight outside. I can tell you that one of the little pearls held a busy chirp, from a bird the size of my thumb, that flitted between branches bending low across the midnight green waters of a creek. Another had a blush hidden in it, the color that spread shyly across the horizon, as the blue hills stood beneath it, radiant with lights from warm homes. Homes that knew sunny days, with yachts in their backyards. Yet another had the delicious smell of pines and leaves, how I wish I knew all the names of the beautiful greens that grew all around wildflowers beside a glass window! My skin grew cold from the dampness of the evening, and I shivered with delight. The pearl that I held in my fingers drew the patterns of the sturdy wood over which I stepped. The lovely circles and arches were forever etched, the bridge beneath my feet looming high over a gushing stream, creaking in doubt with each step I took. 

I  walked quickly towards the archway I saw from a distance. A row of  trees with twisted, wiry branches framing the darkness amidst them, like a looming mystery that forewarned travelers to stop and turn back. I had to reach there, my spirits rose high as I approached the gaping black mouth, my quiet steps turned into a breathless sprint. I ran towards that arch like it was my destiny, and the tunnel became lighter as I drew nearer. I was walking through, almost in a reverie, walking in rhythm to the gurgle of the creek. I walked until I saw the light from the other side, where my trail was going to take me. What was the light on the other side? Was it a home, a fairy light in a garden? Was it another walker, just like me, holding a torch to quell the dark? Should I have met them? 

I didn't know, but I stopped in my tracks, and then turned back. I couldn't let myself know, not so soon, not just then! I couldn't lose the notion of not knowing, couldn't let it fade away. What if the light was not what I thought it to be? So I turned back and retraced my steps. And I picked up another pearl and smiled, as my thoughts wandered to the boy who took me to see the ocean, and who would never be mine. The last pearl I held tight in my cold palm was a message from home.