Midnight eyes stare blankly from the woods

piercing my soul,

shaking my resolve.

Yet, I press on,

delving deep, deep onward

cutting aside bristle bushes

and hanging vines that block my path.

My brain is screaming at me;

every living fiber of my being tells me

“TURN BACK! LEAVE THIS PLACE!”.

But I cannot,

I must find glory,

my ego is the only part of me that insists I continue.

There it is: the temple!

I have made it, finally;

I rip at intricate, ancient cobwebs that

hinder my sight;

I wonder for a moment of fear,

“What kind of spiders make such

enormous webs?!”

Hours later, I’ve made it,

battled my way through traps

and through trials;

in the inner chamber,

I see it — thank the Lord —

my goal is completed:

my satchel is full.

Suddenly, rumbles shock the earth below,

gravel falls violently from the stone ceiling above!

I realize, perhaps too late,

grave danger approaches…

I run, at full speed,

back through the maze of hallways,

leaping over pitfall traps

and dodging boulders like Indiana Jones.

Exhausted, I pause for a moment

to catch my breath;

I glance in my satchel;

my golden friend is still there.

I continue my rapid exit,

with the temple all but collapsing

around me.

Finally, I see it.

A glint of sunlight at the end of the tunnel!

And so,

we stepped into the dawn

— my rescued statuette and I —

forever changed,

for glory I have found.