I wondered what I might find,
if curiosity took me off the beaten path.
Would fear stop me from being the best
that I can be?
I’ve walked in new sneakers over cobblestone paths,
just to marvel at an intricate iron tower,
light up a Parisian sky.
I’ve floated on turquoise water and watched waves of coloured shells,
crash, fiercely
over jet-black lava rocks,
and then quietly disappear under blankets of sand.
I’ve climbed up tall mountains,
just to get a closer view of
the most delicate yellow and red wildflowers,
gently swaying alongside the
gushing flow of cool waters
from a melting avalanche.
I’ve walked along paths,
lost in jungles of
exotic butterflies
following a trail of red ants
who led me to
an ornate wooden house.
In the distance,
a small, but stately, warrior
from an ancient Megalithic site,
jumps meters high,
just
to show off a skill and defend his ceremonial right.
I’ve searched for a
giant soldier
chiseled
from a marble slab,
carried for miles
but shockingly left behind.
A Kouros laid to rest with centuries to pass,
covered by the dust of time.
I’ve walked through lemon groves and stumbled
upon such a soldier.
He lay quiet and still while a glowing sun cast shadows
on his broken bones.
How many burdens has he carried, trying to do the right thing?
Alone with his thoughts
sadly he lies,
lost
but not invisible.
With time slowly standing still.
My tattered shoes have now walked many miles.
I have returned home,
Weary
Content
Inspired
But not old
The soldier, the tower, the warrior, the sea…
they all stay connected in mind.
Stitched together from woven fabric,
a shield to keep my memories strong.
Decades of time will pass
and I will still wonder how different life could have been
if
I did not find
the courage
to wander off,
that beaten path.
I traveled in search of beauty,
I traveled in search of knowledge,
I traveled because the world is
out there.
However, as always,
all those paths eventually led me back to a comfortable place.
© aim 2013
Very well written!! and very thought provoking.!! Thank you very much. Mari
You’re welcome!
A beautiful marriage of two art forms.
Nicely said, Judy. Thank you for reading.