Reading dogeared trail guides,
examining coffee-stained maps,
mentally tracing the paths.
You imagine vistas—
the weariness, the blisters.
You calculate:
liters of water, calories of food,
miles per hour adjusted for terrain,
the weight of each boot.
You wind duct tape onto a pencil stub,
cut handles off toothbrush and trowel,
paring every millimeter and ounce
trimming the backpack’s burden.
You listen to stories of adventures
and challenges by offbeat explorers
whose dangerous fantasies lean toward
the same rock-strewn paths you desire.
Life goes on:
the daily grind, the same commute.
Then one day, like a bolt of lightning,
wanderlust takes hold—
irresistible urgency;
ready or not, you depart.
© 2025 Bruno Talerico
Stafford challenge 305/365.
Desert Dweller 