In The Time Of Travelers
Ageless yet simultaneously ancient
Weathered faces with eyes of stone
Rough hands, callused and worn raw
The many battles fought from within
Man versus everything or often nothing
The calmness of empty seas in every direction
Erupting into gale force piercing winds
Painful driving rainstorms, brutal hail
Ice, sleet, snow and fears of a frigid death
Cloudless skies and miles of deserts
Where oppressive draining heat takes toll
Fierce terrains with razor sharp stony crags
Sinking sands of the quickened kind
And the vast emptiness of dense foliage
Darkened green and thickened jungle vines
Reminiscent of the hangman’s noose
Pestilence and disease commonplace
Torn skin, torn hair, complimentary raggedness
Broken bones and broken spirits
Carried scars upon scars forevermore
No comfort from strangers, nor friend alike
Scarcity of food and parched from thirst
Watching eyes, hidden in the trees and vines
Tracking every move, waiting for an opening
Some lurking with teeth and claws
Others carry steel, spear, or stone blade
Whether riding battering waves
Or atop slow trotting horses
Iron and living, taking and giving
Keeping perpetual watch, keeping notes
Seeking out if only for the sake of seeking
Holding back means gaining nothing
To map out virgin lands or distant shores
Geological discovery and so much more
Myths and legends proven or debunked
Fighting everything plus natural enemies
These travelers and their prize called…
Cartography
- A Light To Guide Us Through The Storm - November 15, 2024
- Rest – Surrender Your Earthly Engagements - October 8, 2024
- Who Dares to Catch the Falling Knife - August 23, 2024
Ancient maps can tell us so much of times long gone. I like to study them. Thank goodness for the ancient travelers who mapped the world – brave they were, with unknown dangers awaiting them. Great work here on cartography and what the travelers were up against, Ralph. Well done.
Infinity discovery what a new day becomes. But back when you could not gps or satellite pinpoint a specific destination, where foothills were traversed on foot and wheels were not made of rubbery softness. Men and women alike strode these paths as you have so brilliantly described to give us the map of the world we see today. Good piece Ralph.~Paul
Love this. Exploring the unknown, charting it for future travelers, they were the true explorers. Great image of those who traveled the world and mapped it for us in the old times.