The Other Road Poem by Dandelion de la Rue

I watch them
Trotting slowly
On the road less traveled
Four white horses
Looking at Not Me
Seeing me not
In my parallel universe.

But I see them.
I slow
Watching them
Their road
Trying to guess
Their secrets
And why they glow.

I have no glow.
It’s all a blur
Here
on the superhighway
That magic energy
lies only on
the dusty rocky
secret wild horse road.

Horns honk
I must go 55.
I must keep up.
The horses are behind me now
Their road is disappearing
into mist.

But NO!
I must not lose it.
I pull over
hearing shouts of rage
and warning cries.
You can’t stop here,
You fool!

But stop I do
Fearing losing
The misty magic road
I climb the fence
Barbed wire
piercing me
vicious claws
to keep me in.
A siren shrieks
I have parked
In a No parking Zone.
They want to throw
away the key.

I lay at last
in the magic road.
clean dirt.
I breath it in
savoring
delicious dust
making snow angels
in the dirt
and laughing.

I make footprints
and look at them
archaic memories
springing forth of
footprints past.
This road will know
that I was here
until the next wind comes.

The horses come along
around the bend
seeing me now
watching carefully
with thoughtful eyes.

You’re welcome here
Stranger
they think to me
but there are no signs here
no laws
no ambulances
to protect you here.
I want no signs
no laws
no ambulances
I think to them.

I look back, once
barbed wire fence
superhighway
at the dark shapes
racing along it
orderly, a fast and
dull parade with no
clowns on bicycles.

I will not go back
I think to them
for it is living death.
They nod understanding
and trot on.
I will find others
here I know
other refugees from
the superhighway
and we will walk
this glowing
living road
and sometimes we will
glimpse
the superhighway
in the distance
and celebrate
our footprints
and the scars
of our escapes.