oases and horizons

i’ve walked through the Valley of Death

hoping my dreams would meet me halfway

or maybe be only a few steps short

i’d walk the extra mile or so to reach them

but the heat

or the depth of this earth

must have bamboozled my mind

because I thought I saw them

dancing on the horizon

but then again,

there was an oasis some ways back

that ended up being cracked ground

as thirsty as I to be nurtured

with only but a drop of something reinforcing

i thought everything was in line

the stars and planets

my efforts and sacrifices

but it was all a mirage

the product of a starving mind

running on the fumes of a tired heart

putrid energy

circulating

fueling a machine that still recalls what it was like to be human

naïve and full of hope

times have changed

and the world I knew has since evolved

accentuated by each season’s temper

each butterfly’s effect

something rippled,

who knows exactly when,

and prolonged the race

pushed the horizon a little bit farther

tempting those dreams to stop dancing

because where I stand

is beyond where they imagined we’d ever have to meet

farther than we’d ever agreed upon

but I’ll keep walking

from oasis to oasis

until I reach where land meets the sky

my dreams and I will be there to make the introduction

… i wrote this a while ago but I’m currently reading a book that sort of hit the topic right on its head …

“…our culture is not good about teaching journey, we only show result. That’s why most people don’t ever reach their dreams—they were never taught to build their foundation first.”

– Hill Harper