Ado and Orpheus

A Poem by Dougie Caraballo

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

The path forward is long enough
to glance back.
The steep climbs from yin Olympus,
with feathered footsteps
that trail behind.
Looking back is the great sin,
with pillars of salt
stark against the black violet
of the past.
The light is far off and your breath is sallow.
The lyre sings from your clutch alone.
Your eyes falter and glimpse the ghost,
just in time to see her falling backwards,
the way you came.