Dawn Settler

I have wandered across the world from the dawn of time,
And have found myself party to more than I thought possible;
I have seen many terrible things--Families torn apart,
Love buried under narrow-mindedness,
Hopes dashed,
Last chances missed.
I once thought that if this pain was inevitable,
The suffering was not worth enduring.
But I have seen the honest, open beauty of friendship,
The selfless generosity of a stranger,
Been touched by the noble love of a mother for her child,
Seen the resilience of the human spirit.
After crossing the Desert of Broken Dreams,
Braving the Troubled Waters,
Passing through the Forests of Shadows,
And not desiring to stay within their borders,
I feared ever finding a home.
But I have since climbed the Mountains of Hope,
And, one morning, in the high Valley of Peace,
I stood on the porch of a village home
And watched the sunrise.
It shone upon the sky, the craggy mountains,
The gentle faces of the villagers,
And it shone into my heart.
Since then, the sun has always shone for me,
And I see now that the world is a more beautiful place
When the light brings color to my eyes.
All I ever needed is here in this valley;
I will not be moving on.