Emma Galloway Stephens

Vengeance is the lord’s

Turn away from the burning road

and the reeking swamp.

There’s a way that’s narrow and clear.

There’s no gold in the hills you seek,

no silver in the caverns below.

turn away from the burning road.

The burden on your back. Lay it down.

Let it sink into the ground.

There’s a way that’s narrow and clear.

Cross the river. Heal your weary feet.

Surrender to the cold, round stones.

Turn away from the burning road.

Take the uphill climb. Come out of the valley.

A few steps more will run your blood white.

There’s a way that’s narrow and clear.

Hold your father’s hand. Lean on your mother’s shoulder.

Let them lead you to the foot of the great gold ladder.

Turn away from the burning road.

There’s a way that is narrow and clear.

Emma Galloway Stephens is a neurodivergent poet and professor from the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina. Her poems have appeared in The Windhover, Persephone Magazine, The Nature of Things, Ekstasis Magazine, and two anthologies.