Poetry, Yasmine Soria
Onward!
Through the road trekked time and time again
Marching forward day by day, night by night
Like the good daughter I was born to be
Onward!
The ground that curls beneath my feet is sturdy and worn
From the feet that have marched before
Walking with vigor--With determination
Sweat dripping down and down from the heat of passion
Comfortable with the knowledge
This road trekked must be the right one
Onward!
The ground beneath shakes, grumbles, and groans
As cracks appear in its worn surface
In a moment, the grumbling ceases
I glance down at these cracks
There is buzzing in my brain, my ears
A warning to stay, To stop
To be wary of the road ahead
But the end of this desperately long road is in sight
And so, I move
Onward!
My feet pound against the cracks as it creaks and whines
Like walking on a frozen lake at the end of winter
The cracks widen with every step
Every pound of my rushing feet
To the end of the road so close to touch
Until the ground becomes akin to tissue paper
And I fall down, down, so very deep down
It reeks of the stench of decay
My stomach hot and boiling with nausea
For this is the tomb of the will
Haunted by the ghost of passion
And stained with the blood of murdered motivation
Time moves no more as Moments transform into eternity
And I cry and scream, begging for release
Because I do not want this anymore, for I did not know
This would be my forever home
And when I become comfy in the chill of the tomb
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It wants me no longer
And spits me out
Like a rotten meal
Thrust back onto the same path
That was walked so steadily before
Bearing the same worn ground and the same flaming sun
But the end of the path has changed
And so, have I
The feeling of surety, of naivety is gone
Sweat no longer drips for I am cold
The feet with which I dig into the ground hold no spirit
I float slowly towards the new end
With so much apprehension
So much fear
And although I am no longer sure about the route like I was before
My legs push forward
I am trusting, hoping, begging,
the road becomes kinder to me still
And so, I move
Onward.
Yasmine Essence Soria is a writer and editor based in Chicago, where she was born and raised. She is a first-generation Mexican-Honduran-American woman working to pave her own path in the world through her work and is currently pursuing her BA in Creative Writing (with a minor in Photography) at Columbia College Chicago. She writes contemporary flash fiction, short stories, and occasionally prose poetry. Her work has been published in Mystic Owl Magazine and Allium Literary Journal. As a multimedia artist, she creates both visual and written work that expresses the core aspects of her identity, while concentrating on creating worlds that belong solely to the reader. Find her on IG @yamine_essence or on her website.