Poetry | “After the Before

After the Before

Sun pouring like liquid gold trickles across the profiles of fourteen eager faces New opportunities lie upon their horizons Many days of travel await Sunrises and sunsets Rain and beating sun Wind threatening to steal tents away in the night Sandstorms, thunderstorms, snowstorms Streams flowing pure in the middle of a desert Sleeping under the moon and stars Talks of life and freezing cold feet Sleepless nights and layover days Emotions, too many to count, cascading through them Hard work, tears, laughter, anger, happiness, love, sadness, remorse, exhaustion, disappointment, awe, hope, homesickness, joy A newfound love for the world they walk through A newfound respect for those around them A newfound purpose in their lives A sense of place If even for a fraction of time They don’t know what to expect Each coming with a preconceived notion about life and the world around them Their earth will shake and everything they thought they knew will shatter Bits and broken pieces of what they thought was true will lay on the arid desert ground

They will have no choice but to begin again Slowly reshaping their minds and how they move through life But these fourteen strangers don’t know any of this They don’t know what to expect And how could they One never imagines Fights and confusion Hand in hand with Laughter and friendship The hard times will bring them closer together The easy times will solidify their friendships Each one will fight for the community they tried so hard to make Growing and learning more about each other Learning and appreciating the land they travel through Appreciating and loving more about themselves Planting new seed and offering plenty of sun and water Together then will grow Together they will be challenged Together they will succeed or fail Together they will become a family