An
in-between place swallowed the thumping staccato of the
Walking Man's boots. The
asphalt was laid down and forgotten so many years ago it may have not
existed. The promise it held faded away from the
now, like so many things do.
Got to
simplify. Keep
walking. Don't
stop.
Nobody knew where he was going to, if
anywhere. Did the Walking Man know? Who can say? He's less man now than idea.
The Engine of Need. The simplicity of
pursuit.
Pass Go and collect $200. It was the in-between places that held the real test.
Alone with himself, the Walking Man faced the
worst of the questions. The lonely wind carried no
concerned voices, no churning
city noises. Nothing but the late summer song of
grasshopper legs and the shiver of windblown
leaves. The horizon means less in the wilderness. Movement is almost
imperceptible. Just keep moving. Pull the hat down against the burning daylight and put the collar up against the swarming
bugs.
The Sun rolls away while he walks. He respects a
fellow traveller. For a moment, he wonders if on the far side of the world, a man is keeping
pace with him. What would "
Mr. Moon" look like?
Why does he walk?
Am I chasing him or is he chasing me?
A shake of the
head is all he can offer up in answer. Got to
simplify, keep
walking, don’t
stop.
Even here, a
million miles from nowhere, the Walking Man kept up his pace against himself.
Miles to go before we sleep.
turn back?|
Don't stop