No Other Orpheus                                              


            I was lucky enough to flee
            Despite the crowded wilderness,
            Swollen streams, bracken,
            Uncertain roots to grip
            For the ascent

            Far below, at last, the plains
            Stretching like an open palm:
            No need for me to look behind

            I knew the hidden tracks,
            The chambered scents of musk and jasmine,
            Delicious secret promises 
            So easily fulfilled,
            Your maze

            The air is sharp,
            Everything is brighter here,
            The heights have put me out of reach

            And yet that voice
            Floating above the trees,
            Your wordlessness –
            A few more steps, I sing,
            A few more steps


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             Emanuel E. García, Sojourns2014