The Gate At The End Of The Path
A Poem for the Short and Sweet Challenge
The gate at the end of the path is open,
and I sit on the cold step and look deep, into it's dark.
Just me, and the moon, each of us high, hung, dead, and flat;
held, as one, in the calm and hazy hush of an aged wake.
Tied by one long soft sigh of loss, of love, of life, of lust...
a weft of woes spun to silk.
Does the moon slip down it, or do I?
One lone salt tear.
Drip.
Onto mud.
The rust on the old gate is lit gold.
A halo of gilt. Is it cast from the beam of our silk?
Does it glow from what it has lost? Age, time, life, love.
It is all a blur.
I wait for the wind to come. Like it did that day.
Wild, from the west, full of oats and lead.
I will feel you in it. The thud of your hard, fast feet
down the path, away from here, out to sew your seed wide.
I will feel you in its bite. I will see the gun in your eyes.
I will hear that one long, loud lone shot and then you will be gone,
and I won't feel you then. The wind will stop, and all will be calm;
only the howl of my dead echo will live on.
About the Creator
Caroline Jane
Warm-blooded vertebrate, domesticated with a preference for the wild. Howls at the moon and forages on the dark side of it. Laughs like a hyena. Fuelled by good times and fairy dust. Writes obsessively with no holes barred.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Caroline Jane and writers in Poets and other communities.
Can You Drive a Ford Fiesta Through a Desert?
I’m flying down the B1 highway from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop with a map and a boot full of camping gear. I’m excited for the first stop of my Namibian road trip: the Quiver Tree Forest. I spot the sign and turn onto the C17, off the tarmac and onto the gravel. I’ll be there soon; it’s only ten miles or so. I am unprepared for what comes next. The car slides and slips across the road. I am not fully in control anymore. I slow to a crawl. The car judders and shudders, the noise deafening, the vibrations rattling the teeth in my skull. It takes me around an hour to drive the ten miles. I arrive at the campsite relieved to be in one piece, even if it feels like all my bones have been shaken slightly out of place. I will later learn that this is what happens when the gravel road becomes “corrugated”, and that the roads authority goes round once a week to “grade” them. Seems I arrived about 6 days after the grader had last been round.
By Jenifer Nim5 days ago in Wander
Comments (16)
Very creative and powerful Caroline Jane Well done!
awesome, eerie, and interesting. great job, it was super fun to read. it kind of reminds me of a poem by e.h. called 'do you remember the night the moon dropped from the sky'. one of my favorites. :)
I love the questions you posed. Great entry!
Very well done and good progression through out the poem.
Excellent writing love it 😊😊
Gosh this was so tragic yet powerful! It seemed very lyrical to me as well. It could become a song! Brilliant work!
Deep and intrinsic very well done
Wow, well done!! ❤️
Wow. This is stellar work, Caroline! I love this line, and how it creates a theme throughout the poem: "a weft of woes spun to silk." The heartbreak you evoke is just gut wrenching, and I can feel the love come through alongside it. Fantastic job on this challenge.
You did a stellar job with this entry!
Melancholy and amazing!!! Loved it!!!♥️♥️💕
Absolutely gorgeous, Caroline! Wow 😍
A great set of words and an excellent challenge entry.
Omg. This is terrific, and also horrific. Beautifully written with palpable melancholy.
Wow. Surreal feelings powerfully written. Excellent poem Caroline 🥰
Ahhh so beautiful!! There are so many gorgeous lines but this one stands out to me “Does it glow from what it has lost? Age, time, life, love.” ❤️❤️