poem 2

(inspired by a little discussion with ame)

the river

when i was young there was a river
laid out for me to follow through
it seemed to me the only path
by which i could travel along

i saw only the river head
which was where i was at
i could not see the coming meanders
nor anything that could hinder my way

i traveled along, oblivious to the world
following only the flow of the river
continuing on in the same direction
never worried about what's to come

but then i saw, a tributary
a diversion that piqued my interest
the current was strong and pulled me in
and i was sucked straight under

at first this new path seemed alright
the water felt familiar
but as i went in deeper along
the path began to grow narrow

soon i found myself mired in
unable to get back out
and i realised that i was stuck
with nowhere to go but forward

so i set about, digging a new path
widening the stretch that i found myself in
i dug with fury, with renewed vengeance
because i knew that nothing else mattered

i kept working, forcing my way through
i wanted to find my way back
but in my heart i always knew
that there was no way back

so now i dug for more than survival
i fought to create my own little future
a future i knew differed from the old
but which i knew i could make my own