Traveller

In my dreams, I'm a traveller.

I went to the forest, and at the road I met my friends.

Tim and Joe were there, just leaving, said a friend.

Another told me, "There might not be any left, you'll have to go farther."

I was gathering sacred medicine and I took the path I'd intended.

I waved at Tim as he passed me. I haven't seen him in years, I muse silently. It was nice to see him, and he was smiling. 

I found the plants I was seeking. There were hundreds of them, but the others had already thinned the thick growth and left only a few strong leaves close to the ground. The plants were a deep shiny green with tear-drop shaped leaves. I could have filled my basket with their leavings, but instead I left these sacred plants to grow. I could come back next year when they would be tall and strong again.

I followed the lake shore back to where I'd started. I passed the place where my car was parked and I started walking in the other direction down the beach and along the treeline.

I scoured the ground for more of the plants, but there were none. I kept walking. There were none. I kept walking and eventually met someone in a van, it was a friend, just spending a few nights. We had a nice visit and I continued on my journey. 

I crossed a vast green field. On the other side was a bluff of trees. I felt certain there would be some of the medicine there. I was right. There were a few plants. I looked up and around myself and was startled to realize, I'd walked all the way to Italy in my search.

It was okay, I'd been here before, but how curious to have crossed the ocean without ever knowing it. It seemed the beach stretched around the whole world. I was on the shores of the Great Lakes then listening to the melodic voices of the Italians in the piazza. 

I woke up with the thought that some day, I need to go back. Italy is calling to me in my dreams, and it has something to do with my present journey. My journey back to discovering myself and my culture, it might not be where I think it will be.

~Scorpion