Dispatches From the Edge of Hope

Fellow traveler,

across the charred landscape

of our broken dreams,

I bid you safe passage,

(a safe journey, a safe return,)

a door open wide

on arrival to shelter you,

cool water to drink,

sustenance

and rest.

Apocalyptic skies,

falling embers,

blowing flames,

have overtaken the road

most traveled.

See the burned-out cars

alongside the road.

See the creatures

with burned paws and hooves

limping beside us,

dead-eyed and stricken,

innocent victims of human folly.

Where are we going?

Forward, only forward

into whatever comes next.

I can only offer a blessing

for your travels.

(A safe journey, a safe return.)

May all beings find

a place of safety in which

to weather the storms ahead.

May all beings find

that welcoming door.

(A safe journey, a safe return.)

For Mary's prompt Wednesday at What's Going On? Safe. 

While I feel totally safe in my peaceful rooms, in my sweet village, the global picture, between wars and an accelerating climate crisis, with its wildfires, extreme weather, and flooding, keeps me all too aware that anything can change at any moment, wherever we are. In troubled times, we have to carry our sense of safety within, like a turtle inside its shell. Wishing you all safe travels.