I found you on the forest path <br />Sitting quietly by a stream <br />And when I asked for wise direction <br />You spoke words as from a dream: <br /> <br />To the west, you said, in gentle tones <br />No poet travels far <br />The roads are full of bandits <br />And the towns are choked with cars <br />A greedy mind rejoices <br />At the sight of such a place <br />But hear me well and watch your step <br />In the west is want and waste <br /> <br />Then glancing up to greet the sun <br />Your face a mask of time <br />You spoke again of distant lands <br />Spinning truth inside a rhyme: <br /> <br />The eastward road is winding long <br />With snares to halt the weak <br />A thousand tests of virtue <br />Shall a seeker surely meet <br />But if by chance you make it through <br />Your heart will find it's place <br />I see in you a thirst for peace <br />A desire best embraced <br /> <br />Your words, I mused, are very strange <br />But which way shall I take? <br />I see no clear advantage <br />The decision's hard to make <br /> <br />The choice, my love, is ready made <br />Does the wind not whisper it's name? <br />Listen closely to these ancient trees <br />Are your spirits not the same?<br /><br />Chris Bradshaw<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/forest-paths/
