Updated date:

Jul 9, 2018

Two Hundred Miles: A Narrative Poem

Author:: Chris Mills

Chris has written poetry for 28 years though he focuses on short fiction. But watch out for the occasional twisted nursery rhyme.

The Summit of Mount Washington

Mount Washington is the highest elevation in the northeastern U.S. at 6,288 feet.
Dan Mills

Author's Note

This is a poem/story about my son, Dan. I wrote about this same endeavor recently in essay form. I felt inclined to present it also as a poem. If you want a fuller context, you can read the essay, A Promise to Keep, either before or after you read the poem.

Two Hundred Miles

His name is Dan

My son, that is,

And he’s a man.

He’s proven this.

A promise he made

To his dear mother

He would not evade

Or listen to others

Who bade him think

Of moving on.

Forget that thing

You told your mom.

For seventeen weeks

He’s been on a mission

He’s been on his feet

To keep his commission

On the Appalachian Trail,

You’ve heard of that.

Georgia to Maine

As a matter of fact.

He began this quest

Ten years ago

The family did invest

Supporting from home.

Cancer had come,

That horrid beast,

To challenge Dan’s mom

To say the least.

Three months along

Dan caught a bus

Something was wrong

Get home, he must.

His mother lay

Upon her bed.

And to her son,

This is what she said.

Promise me, Dan

You’ll finish the trail

In this one plan

You cannot fail.

At 3 in the morn

She breathed her last

We began to mourn

The die was cast.

Ten years have passed

Yet Dan recalls

Those words, her last.

The Trail still calls.

From Michigan’s shore

Sailed his boat south

To the Gulf of Mexico

and a river’s mouth.

The boat he sold

On one fine day

And set his goal

Up Georgia way.

He stood at last

Upon the Trail

With memories past

He would not fail.

How does one hike

Two thousand miles?

Dan set his site

On his mother’s smile.

Until today,

The task not done

The end so near

Tempted to run

Two hundred miles more,

The hardest steps,

To a heart restored

And a promise kept.

Dan's Mother, Sandy

Taken in Newfoundland in the fall of 2007.
Chris Mills

Comments

Chris Mills (author) from Traverse City, MI on July 16, 2018:

Shauna, Thank you for reading the story and poem. Dan has quite a story to tell.

Chris Mills (author) from Traverse City, MI on July 16, 2018:

Mark, I appreciate you visiting and leaving such a kind comment.

Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on July 16, 2018:

Beautiful poem, Chris. I read the full story and look forward to reading Dan's account when he finishes his trek.

Mark Tulin from Ventura, California on July 15, 2018:

Nicely done on both counts--poetry and the promise.

Chris Mills (author) from Traverse City, MI on July 11, 2018:

Suhail, I appreciate the emotion you felt as you read. I believe Dan is now entering a stretch of the AT in Maine that will finally be relatively flat. He has come out of the White Mountains. Ahead, though, is Mount Katahdin and the brutal climb to the finish.

Suhail Zubaid aka Clark Kent from Mississauga, ON on July 11, 2018:

I read this poem with tears brewing in my eyes. This was a masterpiece that pays a rich tribute to a son's commitment to his mom.

Reportedly, the last 200 miles of the AT in Maine are the most crucial to traverse, because of the fickle weather, the difficult terrain, and the fatigue that sets in.

I will read the essay shortly.

Regards,

Suhail

Chris Mills (author) from Traverse City, MI on July 11, 2018:

Rinita, Yes, Dan is a man of honor. You got that message loud and clear. Thank you for reading the poem and for your kind comments.

Rinita Sen on July 11, 2018:

I feel two things right now, Chris. One - speechless about your son's honour of word to his mother, and two - happy about the effortless flow of verses with which you conveyed this commitment to the world. I will read the essay next to learn more about the trek details. Thank you for sharing.