When the road
diverged in the wood
and I took the
one less traveled,

Did I know then
of the winding, windy trail,
the mountains to climb,
the crevasses to pass
the alleyways, the demons,
the drifts?

Did I know that the heart aches,
that the path to growth
is not easy,
that the path to joy
can begin by going downhill?

Did I know that the
road is long,
the depths are deep, the
waves are strong,
the mist is mighty?

And if I did,
would I have taken that path?
And if I didn’t
would joy have forever
eluded me?

© 2007 Sherrie Lovler
February 20, 2007