James Moore Poet Narrative

Notes About The Poem

Crossroads

(“Mrs. It Dances Through It”, 2014, original pen & ink)

My mind is in a tangle
My life an unraveled ball of threads
Stretching off in every direction
Each one a choice
Each one a decision
And I in the middle am at a loss
To make heads or tails of it all.
It is dark, I am alone
Confused as to even why and how
It has come to this, always come to this.

From an early age I have known
My life is blessed, simply because it is alive.
And I have consistently mistaken this
As something personal, 
Something about me and mine,
While it is in fact the other way around.
It is all the others I have known who bless me.
Each has come into my life touching it tangentially
Like a game of tag, reminding me I am it
Without ever really knowing what it is.

Now an old man, 
Mostly I’m left with memories,
All those moments, all those contacts,
And wonder if I gave anything useful in return,
Or if everyone was better off without me.
I know that can’t be true
Because Life is always a two way street
And everyone has their own tangle to mend.
Maybe my gift to them was simply
To show how tangled it all is.

Everything seems to slip away
While it also hangs in the balance,
A frozen cascade or exploded view
Which I hold and view in still-life
Discerning its beauty, while avoiding its pain.
And as friends come and go, each of us
Bound on our own paths
We touch, exchanging something, 
A glance, a word, a kiss, 
A baton perhaps in a relay without end.

In this we are not alone.
In this we are always only alone.
My mind is in a tangle, and I am at a crossroads
Again, uncertain if that light on the horizon
Is from the dusk or the dawn.
I’m sure I will make a decision 
At least with an appearance of choice,
As everyone I have ever touched
Shares in the weight, for better or worse
Until death do we part, again.

(5/13/26)

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Candide Diderot May 24, 2026 at 8:38 AM The biggest questions, in a lot of your poems. This poem sums it all up for me, after reading the majority of your others. The last 3 lines well and truly hit Home. "As everyone I have ever touched Shares in the weight, for better or worse Until death do we part, again." - god, I wonder how many times we have to come back again until we have it answered all "correctly". Regards, Imperfect. James Moore May 31, 2026 at 11:37 AM I think eventually we come back free and without compulsion. As for the biggest questions I think this one (from 1/7/24) sums it up; "The Heart of the Matter" What is it that really matters? Is it finding the answers to the big questions, - finding our place in the cosmology of it all - Or is it something else entirely, Something more personal and immediate, Something of the heart and not the head? I’ll leave it at that. James Moore May 31, 2026 at 11:34 AM Yes, thanks Candide, my illustrations are all original paintings, drawings or photos. This one (from over 10 years ago) sums up the mental space this poem arose from. Sometimes the most heartfelt poems aren't the best compositions or even all that poetic, but they are heartfelt. Thanks again. Candide Diderot May 24, 2026 at 8:39 AM If all these your original artwork. This one is perfect.