The Errand

By Cliff Lake

 

The Errand

 

The gray expanse covers,

The sun hides,

The cold,

The damp,

The permeating despair,

A shadow and an oppression.

The rider

Alone in the haze,

Urges his mount steadily forward,

Mindful of the beast’s trepidation,

And of the senses it employs.

He also remains heedful as he can,

Sounds deadened,

He must rely on sight.

Eyes flicking side to side,

Striving to pierce the mists,

The strain is relentless,

Yet he dare not tarry,

This passage has an earned reputation,

And he would not add his name to its tales.

Moreover, his errand will not wait,

Its gravity would suffer more than this toil,

And the oath he swore drives him through this,

And more –

Should that be required.

He is not sworn to one,

But to all,

He is a keeper and sentinel,

A guardian and watchman,

And this day,

A messenger.

The tidings he bears,

Of hope and succor,

Of aid unlooked for,

Must be delivered to a beleaguered land,

Though this is not his king,

Nor the state of his birth,

His vow is to all creatures,

And all are his people.

The rider,

Alone in the haze,

Urges his mount forward…

His errand will not wait.

 

Cliff Lake 12/23/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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