Path I Chose
(For all who chose "the road less traveled" and felt set apart from the rest of the world.)
Earlier in my life
something unexpected happened
almost like a dream
and when I woke up
I found myself
on this island.
At first it was total
delight:
The honeyed sunlight
stroking my skin
like a lover,
sea breezes flowing
through me,
soft music playing
in the distance.
Paradise at last,
blooming all around and within.
Then I looked all over
and finally realized
there was no one
I could share my story
with,
no fellow being
to listen,
share with me in return.
No campfires
and storytellers,
no sacred ceremonies
of connection.
The trees whispered
to one another
in a language I
did not understand,
the stars were sending
codes that were exciting
but they were far away.
It was a solitary
untranslatable venture,
like that of no one else.
Then I remembered
that this was the path
I had chosen.
I did not want to be encumbered
by other people's teachings,
imposed guidance from outside,
though I gave them
respectful attention.
of arriving somewhere
but now I am wondering
what it all means,
finally,
what might next unfold.
Islands can be very lonely
places,
silence too still.
Dorothy Walters
August 19, 2017