Lost Gold, Found & Lost
The dust storm was severe.
I was lost, that was clear.
Grit was getting in my eyes.
It was burning, making me cry.
I kept staggering along.
Wondering which way I had gone?
I couldn’t see a single thing.
Wondering what each step will bring?
A wet handkerchief over my face.
Goggles on, I can’t see this place.
I was out, mining for gold.
“It’s in the desert,” I was told.
They failed to mention the storms.
Now, I feel so forlorn.
I may die before this is over.
They will find me pushing up clover.
Suddenly, I fell and rolled down a hill.
A sand dune, building for the kill?
I imagined it falling and covering me.
There was nowhere for me to flee.
The wind was much less down here.
It felt better, that was clear.
I found I could see around a bit.
Sand was blowing over a rift.
A small bluff of higher land.
Behind it, I was below the sand.
Then, I saw something shiny.
It was gold! Quite a find for me.
I dug around & found a bunch in a sack.
I had found some miner’s pack.
I would lay low till the storm blew out.
Grab the gold and set a route.
If I can make it out of here.
I will be rich. That was clear.
Then, I remembered the stories.
A miner left his gold behind, his glory.
He knew he couldn’t carry it out .
“I need more water,” he did shout.
Indians found him barely alive.
They helped him to survive.
He searched for his stash of gold for years.
It was lost, along with his fears.
I decided he may have been right.
I gave up the gold without a fight.
I took 2 nuggets along with me.
I made it out. I was lucky & free.
I went back to find that gold.
It was lost, as I had been told.
Which is better? Gold or life?
I’ll take life with all its strife.
That gold may never be found again.
But, overall, it is better to win.
——————–R. W. Johnson—–(2017)