She stood on the threshold

undecided

far ahead the oasis shimmered

was it a mirage again?

could she ever hope to

reach its succour

to revel in its lush greens?

 

hot winds created

fresh terrains

the promise ahead dissolving

every vestige of sanity she

stepped out

 

her feet sinking in fiery sands

feeling neither the burning sun nor

the invading abrasive sand

she trudged on regardless

she was almost there

 

reaching out to touch a palm

she recoiled

the hot desert air was all there was

 

far ahead

the oasis still beckoned

she looked back

the shifting sands

in strange fresh dunes

mocked

 

she was truly lost

 

Elizabeth Kuriakose

13th August 2015