By Adegoke Rahmah

In the hot, arid desert
I kept panting
moving so fast as if I was being chased
I never looked back
for I never thought of doing so.

My feet were trembling
They were screaming
But I never stopped
I never minded their screams.

My face was burning,
from the hot blazing sun.
Sweat was dripping,
on my naked sores
yet I never stopped.

And I never looked back.

With the bags of gold on my head,
with the silver rings on my fingers,
with the rare gem on my backpack
I was walking terribly fast
dragging everything along the ground
picking up every treasure I came across

I met an old man
He had long white hair
with a full white beard
His eyebrows were grey

He told me, “Stop!”

“Where are you headed”
With tears in my eyes,
with the bruises on my face
with the tiredness all over me
I pointed to the golden castle
lying far away from me

He looked at me
and nodded in pity.
He shook it again
and told me two things
Put all these down
and turn back.

I removed everything I had on me
my bags of gold, my silver ring
my backpack containing rare gems
They filled the whole place!

I looked back
and what did I see?

I saw
a thousand miles
that I had covered