a careless step invited…“Plain talk,” my poem

a careless step invited…“Plain talk,” my poem

spreading the welcome

 

 

Plain talk

 

Alone, so much alone,

but so far from lonely.

 

I look ahead to the trail that waits,

I look back to the fading trail

   that beckoned me to pass,

the plain retreats to distant crags,

the land invites a careless step,

the trail can wait.

 

This great space, so open,

so mute, such emptiness

   framed for imagination and desire,

I sow my thoughts

   and spread my welcome

      to the eager land

         that pulls my step,

and kindles my bright gaze

   as I embrace this moment,

and understand that here

   it is impossible to be lonely.

 

April 16, 2026

 

Inspired by “At the Seven-Mile Ranch, Comstock, Texas” (1982)

by Naomi Shihab Nye (b1952)

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My poetry. Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2026 All rights reserved.

 

Book review: An Empire on the Edge

by Nick Bunker

The British wanted to win

       the Revolutionary War,

    but they had good reasons

        for not trying too hard…

click here

Above all: Poems of dawn and more with 74 free verse poems,
and the rest of my poetry books are for sale on Amazon (paperback and Kindle)
and free in Kindle Unlimited, search Amazon for “Richard Carl Subber”

 

Your comments are welcome—tell me what you’re thinking.

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