I like to describe
Life as climbing a spiral staircase:
You often come around
To what seems like
A familiar place but now,
With the advantage of altitude,
Your perspective has changed
And things that once appeared
To loom large, these
Now seem small and insignificant.
Look, there's something
I was certain was
The darkest crimson
Only now it reflects
The deep blue of calm waters.
And there! The statue
I thought portayed a monster?
I was only seeing part,
From a very low place,
Of something I now percive as beautiful.
Although it could as easily
Have been the other
Way around...
And here, a choice I did not make,
That has saddened me for years.
Now from this vantage
I can see
The path down which
That would have lead.
Every possible history the result of a choice
Every choice, an alternative path.
Even the subconscious choices
Lead to new paths. Can
I live the alternate life? No.
But I might be able to see
Patterns that could have formed
Things that could have been.
Be thankful or mourn. Either way
I will myself to keep moving and
Embrace what is now, to
Become more aware of choices
In the moment.
Can I thereby influence my future?
Yes. Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps
I will see
next time around.
— Zachary
Life as climbing a spiral staircase:
You often come around
To what seems like
A familiar place but now,
With the advantage of altitude,
Your perspective has changed
And things that once appeared
To loom large, these
Now seem small and insignificant.
Look, there's something
I was certain was
The darkest crimson
Only now it reflects
The deep blue of calm waters.
And there! The statue
I thought portayed a monster?
I was only seeing part,
From a very low place,
Of something I now percive as beautiful.
Although it could as easily
Have been the other
Way around...
And here, a choice I did not make,
That has saddened me for years.
Now from this vantage
I can see
The path down which
That would have lead.
Every possible history the result of a choice
Every choice, an alternative path.
Even the subconscious choices
Lead to new paths. Can
I live the alternate life? No.
But I might be able to see
Patterns that could have formed
Things that could have been.
Be thankful or mourn. Either way
I will myself to keep moving and
Embrace what is now, to
Become more aware of choices
In the moment.
Can I thereby influence my future?
Yes. Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps
I will see
next time around.
— Zachary
I really relate to the imagery and the sense of travel in both space and time. The unfolding of perspective is something I really enjoy now and yours is a nice storytelling of the experience.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this, definitely. Nicely done. I think you are really utilizing your chosen poetic format! I think about these things a lot lately. At age 31, I made a big move to a different part of the country, mostly for practical reasons. But it haunts me. I married someone here who did not want to explore other places. He had family here. Both of us are "creatives," and we can do our thing anywhere. But context is important. I don't know. You are brave and honest, and this time with 40Days I'm writing fiction, so I can postpone thinking about myself! (Macoff)
ReplyDelete