Lines For the Dry Seasons

A meditation on perseverance

No path has proceeded

With an unvarying straightness,

In the manner of an arrow

Seeking its mark.

Rather, the way is often tortuous,

Fraught with detours and frustrations,

With no promise of shelter before

The night.

Still, let none look back from a valley

And say of the journey, this was vanity,

For height cannot encompass,

Nor breadth contain the implications

Of a single footstep.

The pebble's splash may vanish quickly,

But its ripples reach the farthest shore.

Author's Note

There are no defeats, only directions.

Reviews

[andrew mitchell]

We are often following the paths that are given and the last two lines say it all in closing. An insightful piece of fine writing.

[John the Baptist]

Thanks. I was hoping those two lines would resound with readers.

[Dave Brown]

Contrary as usual, I am not so sure we get where we want to but we certainly get where we are
Did I read that right
the pebble/ripple thing is very good.
We all eventually get to that furthest shore no matter the journey
Can you do one a little easier for me to understand next time

[John the Baptist]

Thanks. You're in the ball park. I was commenting on the tendency of many people, especially as they age, to look back on their lives and find little of value in them. It's a bad practice, because from our limited viewpoints, we cannot tell how much we have affected life for the good. Think "It's a Wonderful Life."

[R.E. Ray]

The wake of our puddle splash travels beyond our mere footprint. We're touched and touch so many on life's journey, weaker and stronger the same. As I age, I find neither pride nor shame in what I've done, only better judgment. An insightful write, sir.

[John the Baptist]

Thanks. You're looking at it in the right way. Many are those who have crumbled under the weight of seeming reverses.

[Lorry]

Life does have a habit of meandering every which way but the way you thought you were headed, but who is to say we have a say at all? Next time you are walking along and see a foot trodden meander line on the grass, just remember that many feet decided somehow to make that path, that wouldn't be there at all if we did walk in straight lines. We do always somehow still manage to get to here and now, somehow.
Excellent write, that lingers in our thoughts, long after reading.

[John the Baptist]

Thanks, Lorry. Indeed, life does not always unfold neatly, in successive steps of progress. The danger lies in assuming the detours are permanent.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, the ripples do reach the farthest shore...and all of us in our existence make that ripple...even if we don't realize how far it reaches...
this is a wonderful poem...
Life is never a straight shot....but if we can navigate those detours...we will eventually get to where we want to go.

[John the Baptist]

Thanks, j. At this point in our evolution, no one has clear sailing all the way. Often, it is the detours that strengthen us to complete the journey.