I still have fight in me

 I wipe the dirt from my hands
 And lay down my tools to rest for a moment
 I look back at the lonely way I came

 There were others out there working
 We traded sorrows and strength
 From time to time
 And now I can see
 Gravesides
 Hospital beds
 Lovely families
 Work yet undone

 It is hard to imagine that where I am
 Was not a figment of my imagination
 Was not just a longing
 To do something meaningful
 To leave a way where there was none

 I begin to wonder if I have done enough
 To clear a way through
 Plant enough trees for shade
 Dig enough pools for water
 I don’t want anyone else to have this struggle

 Before me is another mountain
 Another treacherous terrain

 If I am honest
 I don’t know how much farther I can go
 I am tired
 The load I have been carrying is heavy on me
 I feel frayed around the edges
 Worn
 Lonely

 Across the fields and mountains around me
 I can see others coming
 Burning down the systems that block their way
 Building beautiful sanctuaries where the rubble used to be

 I can see them
 The fury and exhaustion
 Their weariness
 Their iron will
 I can see their pain intermingled with light and Joy
 I hear them
 And it is like a drumbeat that echoes through my veins
 We are connected
 Comrades in this journey

 We reach out hands to each other
 We share our struggle and strength
 Nourish each other
 The heaviness lifts
 A peace descends
 An energy ignites

 Then

 I am left alone again
 I am not lonely
 I am tired

 I still have fight in me