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# Pioneer
- URL: https://www.fsm.ink/pioneer/
- Published: 2026-04-10T17:00:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-03T17:39:41.000Z
- Author: Isabel Dorn
- Tags: Poetry, #Import 2026-08-03 09:59

*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.