Take the first road you find and start walking in any direction. Keep walking until you reach the Crossroads, even if it takes weeks.
I left you a Buddha’s Hand citron and a bowl of rice on the last full moon.
Pry them from the hands of the Forgotten, but do not resent them
For their hunger.
Close your eyes and reach for the smell of dew and ozone in the wind. Let it bring you to the edge of a thundercloud and take Jacob’s Ladder down to Earth.
You taught me to love rain.
You will see my silhouette in the droplets. I look a little older and freer than I did one year ago, and my eyes are no longer red with tears.
Follow me, but do not resent me
If I walk away.
My children’s children will Forget you too.
I cannot see you. But I will be going Home.
Follow me through the mossy grove and watch me climb the roots of the Family Tree. I think it is a yew, because its bark has a poison that stops your cells from dividing. I will cross it once and never return.
Take every turn with me, and know that I will not resent you
For not knowing the way.
I am following Nothing.
The wind is 65 degrees and lonely. The wind tells me that this walk will take years.
You might smile and wish you could tell me that I’m already Home.
If so, please leave me a dime in the washing machine.
You might furrow your brow the way I do and dread the moment I realize that this walk will never end.
If so, please turn on the lights while I sleep.
(2025-03-06)
Zoe Pian 