Other travelers have, in fact, returned
to tell about the land beyond the bourn,
but never in detail, no kind of story.
Only that a silence spreading like thunder,
the green light, and coming home waits
for us on this side, though we press and press
to get to the other. One day it gives
suddenly, and we fall flat, as it were,
upon our very faces. Except that this one,
looking back as if upon a mirror,
is no longer proud, or puzzled.
David Ruekberg lives and teaches near Rochester, NY. In addition to reading and writing, he enjoys gardening, hiking, cooking, and the Criterion Collection of films. He received his MFA from Warren Wilson College, and was awarded a residency at Jentel Arts. Poems have appeared in Barrow Street, Mudfish, North American Review, Poet Lore, Sugar House Review, Yankee Magazine, and elsewhere. His collection, Hour of the Green Light, was semi-finalist in the 18th Annual Elixir Press Poetry Award.
