Brandon Marlon

It is that minimal sustenance,
growing wild in the clefts of rocks,
encouraging survival despite all,
a guardrail keeping us from the gorge.
Fused with confidence it becomes faith,
a trusting and wizened belief,
like a cliff-side fortress overhanging a chasm,
sheltering those reverential and humble.        
Even alone it remains a unique phenomenon,
full of rare meaning and power,
without which we are lost,
overwhelmed then overcome.
Yet with its seed we somehow endure,
buoyed upon the sea of our troubles,
nourished by its defiant flare,
knowing it as the handsel of success.

Brandon Marlon is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his B.A. in Drama & English from the University of Toronto and his M.A. in English from the University of Victoria. His poetry was awarded the Harry Hoyt Lacey Prize in Poetry (Fall 2015), and his writing has been published in 300+ publications in 30 countries.