you shouldn’t go backward
on these roads
of life
just forward
regardless of potholes
toward whatever future
lies ahead
the future
toward my tomorrows
here
as the future
plays forward
in time
and time is something
that doesn’t stand still
there is no delaying
inevitable change
as I limp forward
toward my tomorrows
ahead
the sun peeks out
from behind the clouds
crowding the sky
with the promise
of a better day
ahead
and like the sun
my heart peeks out
from behind the debris
cluttering the past
with the hope
of a better life
ahead
seeking solid ground
one walks gingerly
through the swamps
of the past
seeking solid ground
on which to build
a future
my hope for these children: on Children’s Day here in Turkey, for children in the world
they look with eyes
that see beyond my vision
with hearts more open
with purpose more true
without the doubts
to weigh upon them
without the sorrow
heavy on their shoulders
without remorse
in their very bones
this is my hope
for these children
of the future
embracing a world
cleaner, brighter
elusive to me
telling fortunes: for Altynai
there’s a horse
and hearts
a wedding dress
a bird
possibly a stork
an open road
power love travel
all possibilities
this that
here there
you me
wishes granted
in a coffee cup
and life
for a minute or so
maybe even forever
different
than before
time
standing
in the open doorway
one more morning
outside
with time
weighing heavy
on one’s heart
a door closing
the sound of
a door
closing
as I walk
away
toward another
future
there on the horizon
one moves forward
an inch at a time
toward that future
just out of reach
there
on the horizon
one walks
one walks
gingerly
through the swamps
of the past
seeking
solid ground
on which
to build
a future
Leonard Durso 