Pioneer

by Isabel Dorn

and I headed west, like all the pioneers who hungered
for beauty they had no right to hold,
to find roads that have not known the heavy kiss
of your weathered boot. I built my new homestead
upon this rare corner of earth that bears no impression
of you. and as I gasped for breath on the precipice
of a future without you, I could almost believe
when I said I am happy enough.

but, love, if you washed up on my barren shore
like the burning leaves that line every path after
the first autumn storm, I fear I’d forget my freedom
and abandon untouched skies for the familiar trails
of sunlight on your back. for, like all those who lust
for heaven on earthly frontiers, I shall be happy –
just never happy enough.

Isabel Dorn (she/her) is a graduate student who uses poetry to examine the complexities of intersectionality and coming of age in the 21st century. As a Vietnamese American woman, she sees writing as a powerful tool for social justice and strives to create more visibility for underrepresented groups with her work.