Sands of the Journey

By: Anna Bryant

I have become a wanderer in the parched lands of a desert.  

When I began this journey through dunes of an unknown land. 

I was filled with excitement and ambition, ready to take on the world.

No doubts.

Not even a single worry.

Now I have miles behind me and an unknown number still lay ahead. 

The sun, which had filled me with a sense of adventure before, has now just become a painful reminder. 

Another day has come and I have yet to complete what I started.

I look in every direction.

Sand.

Sand is my past, present, and future.

My heart is heavier than the pack in which I carry.

There are no walls around me and yet any step I take appears meaningless.

I scream with all my might, but it is just me here, alone.

The sound bounces off the thoughts within my head.

“You will die, before you find your dreams.”

“You are all dried up.”

“You are nothing.”

I fall to me knees, my body tensed by the invisible blows.

I am broken into small pieces to match the grains of sand.

“Abba.” Is whispered through parched lips.

Tears would fall, but my water was empty.

Moment built upon moment. 

Hours passed, my body ached with stiffness. 

For the time, the reward is a deafening silence.  

My mind into a numb state. 

I lifted my head with hopes my surroundings had changed. 

Sand is still all I saw.

I Am still with you in the sands.

I sit locked into place, glancing all around me. 

The small gentle voice held so much promise.

He had not magically change my surrounds. 

He did not create an oasis to splash against my weathered face. 

No.

But there was a change.

My feet were still weary and eyes were still strained. 

But I held a new strength and courage.

I was not alone.

As I now place my feet beneath me, I will continue to tread these sands. 

I do not know where this journey will take me nor do I know where it will end. 

Step by step through the sands I grow closer to the gentle voice who gave me strength.