I wandered from the path; I was lost.
Stream after stream I crossed.
‘Til once I glance down to see
The next stream, just ahead of me,
Flowed in rivulets of gold,
Flowing freely with wealth untold.
I knelt down to touch the flood
And saw, in the gold, traces of blood.
Across this stream of gold I glanced;
Before my wondering eyes, gems danced.
The jewels of colors I’d never seen
Lay on satin of a diamond sheen.
Lace and velvet draped great stone.
I felt eyes on my back, but I was alone.
Gingerly, I crossed the stream;
I moved slowly, as in a dream.
But the vision didn’t disappear
Or fade away, as I had feared.
The filmy cloths rippled in the breeze;
The bright stones glittered, my vision teased.
Birches, with bark of silvery hue, I found ran silver all the way through.
Marble bins filled with spices rare-
Their mixed fragrance filled the air.
Platinum flowers with silver dew
Stood in beds where living flowers grew.
The confusion was too much to bear-
I ran, then turned- there was nothing there.
c1968 Carol Kerr Buckles