The Road

Suspended in perpetual animation There is a light at the end of the tunnel From hours of travel though inches gained Spewed forth from the bowels of existence I stand Before me lies the road Like a pond turned solid by Winters touch The road is wide, flat, smooth No encumbrances to impede the journey Cautious at first, testing the consistency of life The trek of life begins on the road It is not so bright anymore Feet shuffle along in a redundant pattern Knees skinned and bruised Rocks, underbrush, thorns and ruts These are the things that now fill the road Alas, a fork and a place to rest Up to now the choices where clear Through mired with pitfalls the ground was flat No twists, no turns no looking back Things are to change depending on the road Left or right, the choice seems easy The right is blessed by being clear The left appears to be less traveled Skulls, cross bones and signs beware Love and pain are to gain on the road I have been meant to suffer Life and family has taught me that The left road I must take The pain of absence of love already aches Perhaps life shall end on this fragment of the road The hand of God has made passage impossible Wind, rain, sleet and hail Tear are my flesh and blur my eyes Bloodied and raw fingers grasp into the unforgiving Earth Clawing my way up the grade that is now the road Shrouded in disappointment and failure I succumb to life’s journey It is simply too hard without family and love Face down the struggle ends I release my grasp and begin the last leg of the road Where is the bottom? Why have I not hit? I quit, I have no more to give Yet suspended like where it all began What forces dare to interfere with the plan For what reason to I remain on the road It is not I that continues the struggle Through slits of clarity wiped clear from tears The vision comes into focus There is one who feels I am worth the effort It is my brother who holds me on the road You are not a brother, blood of blood Nay, you are a brother by choice A man through unconditional love and conviction Has purged the darkness, sorrow and despair Saving my life and my soul, I am still here on the road I have no tangible means of payment Gifts and idle trinkets could never tender the amount I owe The love I have and the embraces of family It is what was given to me because I went left The wounds healed and voids filled because of the road Today the day is bright Warmth surpassed only by the glow of love Shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart Life is worth living and good again Because of our travels down the roa