No Hope Road (Poetry)

I am an empty canyon
where once a river flowed
I am an arid country
where no quiet seeds are sowed

I can’t recall a kinder time
without this heavy load
I’m carrying my pack of bones
the length of no hope road

There is no place on any map
where I can linger long
no one can hear my feeble voice
or listen to my song

This needle’s pointing northwards but
my compass might be wrong
I trudge along regardless for
the wanderlust’s still strong

There’s part of me that’s searching
for part of me that’s lost
that flower barely opened
blighted sudden by the frost

I failed the final paper
my boxes stayed uncrossed
no hope on the horizon
love too brief for what it cost

So I struggle up the skyway
shouldering my ancient load
pass the signpost pointing nowhere
dream the dream of endless road