When the outer path
leads to devastation, division,
and a blow to hope
for one's fellow man,
when the way forward
branches into
a myriad of possibilities,
smokey and undefined,
when the waystations are named
Unacceptable and Deplorable,
when all the questions have no good answers,
I pull back into myself
like a turtle into its shell.
Resignation settles like dust in my soul;
we hunker down.
Life wisdom reminds me that,
in the fullness of time,
the great wheel turns and turns;
justice will ultimately prevail
and all will be revealed.
I tuck hope away for safekeeping,
and just plod on,
vowing to do the best I can
in the place where I am.
Accustomed to thinking Big Picture,
it is time, now,
to scale down to Small Picture,
in order not
to lose my mind.
When the path is unclear,
and leads in directions
we do not want to go,
yet must go,
all one can do is
take the next step.
for Sumana's prompt at Midweek Motif: Path
"the great wheel turns and turns;..." exactly..and we wait patiently for the next step keeping calm..sigh..
ReplyDeleteIs it OK not to take a step at all for the next few days? I hope so, for I fear I will become utterly lost, if I try to follow the unclear path.
ReplyDeleteI tuck hope away for safekeeping,
ReplyDeleteand just plod on,
vowing to do the best I can
in the place where I am.
This is so beautiful!! Such a wise and heartfelt write.
Amen to every part of this!
ReplyDeleteI loved this poem. It depicts us all as helpless to control things...just keeping positive keep going,taking small steps at a time.
ReplyDeleteSuch wisdom! From "waystations ... named
ReplyDeleteUnacceptable and Deplorable,
when all the questions have no good answers" to moving from the big picture to the smaller one, so victory is measured in steps. Such a bright light from your heart.
Yes, Sherry, even though the path is one we don't want to walk we have to walk it anyway. There is no alternative. And we have to keep that hope tucked away & hope for a time when we can bring it out again!
ReplyDeletein the fullness of time,
ReplyDeletethe great wheel turns and turns... true but Sherry justice doesn't always prevail, a world with too much disparity, you get a sense things everywhere are beginning to give way a little. Agree we must take the next step, no matter what. Timely poem.
Ohh... it came to all as a strong wind! Sherry, we can probably guess, the whole world is moving towards a dangerous way.... ...countries will look out for themselves, fight amongst each other and those who will survive will leave earth in those space capsules!!! Timely poem ..beautifully penned!
ReplyDeleteVery powerful words. I can feel the disappointment in your writing, but i love the line "tucking away hope." There is always hope!
ReplyDeleteI think we must all find a world where we feel comfortable. Growing up we tend to be adventurous but as time passes we settle into a happy place especially as age nudges us and steers us away from the mountains!
ReplyDeleteAnd, as I (sort of) said to Susan after reading her poem – may we all find the strength to take that next step.
ReplyDeleteYes! Yes!! Yes!!!
ReplyDeleteI find myself spending a lot of times with my plants. Thinking about how to best help my fellow man in the months/years to come... We will be all right, because we have each other. But it won't be easy.
There is so much at stake and so many obstacles along the way. But once resolve is decided one must go on. Good advice and great lines Sherry!
ReplyDeleteHank
I'm with you under that turtle shell! as they say, baby steps.
ReplyDeleteExcellently expressed. Excellent insight. When the road is dark we may be all we have
ReplyDeletethese events remind me of the Hindu cycle, which says we are way, way down.
ReplyDeletemay the trip back up be swift ~
I pull back into myself
ReplyDeletelike a turtle into its shell.
Resignation settles like dust in my soul;
I love these lines and yes out of self preservation we need to hunker down. great poem
Taking small steps and concentrating on the small picture is a good strategy when the going gets tough and hope has been "tucked away for safekeeping", Sherry. I can feel your great sadness and disappointment with the recent turn of events in the USA, which will no doubt make this world a much more difficult place to live in...
ReplyDelete