The Lucky One
So he avoided the cities
and kept to the woods
and walked for days
and saw nothing
though at night he heard
the trees cracking as they fell
and the death cries of strangers
caught up in the bloodlust
that was everywhere.
So he came to the sea
and kept to the shore
and walked for days
and saw nothing
though at night he heard
the waves crash as they fell
and still the death cries of strangers
caught up in the bloodlust
that was everywhere.
So he found a boat
and launched it
and rowed for days
and saw nothing
and in time
he died alone
asleep and merely thirsty
without ever knowing
how lucky he was.
Scott Owens’ tenth collection of poetry, Shadows Trail Them Home, was recently published by Clemson University Press. His prior work has received awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, the Next Generation/Indie Lit Awards, the NC Writers Network, the NC Poetry Society, and the Poetry Society of SC. He is the founder of Poetry Hickory, editor of Wild Goose Poetry Review and 234, and vice president of the NC Poetry Society. Born and raised in Greenwood, SC, he currently teaches at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC.
