The Silk Road.

The road carrying the jewel of truth
Traverses land and sea, desert and mountain,
On rough tracks and motorways,
Airways and railways,
Stretching from dusty Beijing to rainy London,
From the Hindu heartlands to Szechuan.

The road carrying the jewel of truth
Crosses lakes and rivers, straights and oceans
On ships and bridges, through undersea tunnels,
Transporting smartphones, fabrics and spices;
New ideas whispered in a medley of languages;
Old ideas printed in little red books.

The road carrying the jewel of truth
Has many highways and intricate byways
Dropped like threads of delicate silk weave
Over the nations of Europe and Asia.
Once trod by Nestorians and Buddhist scholars,
Now by the purveyors of mass produced goods.

I despise border guards, all visas and barriers;
But love the multitude of religions and cultures
That bloom on this planet like flowers in June.
My homeland is sick with xenophobic delusions
But the road that carries the jewel of truth
Still glints in the sunlight of my eloquent dreams.


Trevor John Karsavin Potter.
9th. - 10th. October 2019.