JDG
The Parable of the Sadhu
I was climbing the Himalayas when I saw an olive bough in the snow,
wizened by stingy oxygen. It palpated a sort of wisdom like gills, like
"we become what we believe ourselves to be."
It was what I'd come to expect on this hypertonic pilgrimage,
A Messiah of knotty bark desiring to grow independently. So I left
The cradle of civilization from which we all grow apart together.
To this day I'm told that such bitter dirt produces luxurious olive oil.
Bio
JDG (they/them) is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY and a member of the New Haven Writers' Group. Their work has been published, among other places, in Cordite Review, Baby Teeth, and Prairie Schooner. You can find more of their work at JustinDGoodman.com.