Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
A Brick Path
By Douglas Newcomb
I often tell the children that they must be afraid before they can be brave.
Courage doesn’t travel alone, aimlessly,
And doesn’t just drift anywhere it pleases.
It follows fear and despair
Quietly.
I had courage enough to roar once,
but was interrupted,
and forgot what it was I was there to say.
Now I don’t remember how I got here, or which direction I was headed.
Out here the road stretches left and right as if arms unfolding.
Douglas Newcomb lives in Petaluma, California, and grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills.