The eternal stranger

A poetry piece inspired by a Van Gogh drawing of a young boy standing in the woods

Trapped between nowhere and forever
silently grasping a dull burden.

A charcoal peasant
cutting wood for a fire
that will never be built.

An eternal stranger
prays for mortality
and comfortable shoes,
longing for a warmer hell.

The trees along the path
lead to a time
stolen and preserved
by the same stroke.

The forest whispers our sin
as we admire the angel
ignoring his broken wings.