Off the Beaten Path

 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