Any Road

Lost in the extremities 

that’s where I’ll be 

I love you my friend

but you fixed your road

no diversions 

you’ll never get lost.

Your middle road 

is not really the path is it?

Squaring yourself off, 

staying out of harms way 

protecting your heart

an pushing yourself enough 

you never break a sweat.

You don’t fall, 

nor stumble,

you don’t dance either I noticed. 

'Come let’s find your Kundalini,' I say 

as shock and horror etches your features into NO!

‘Don’t talk to me,’ I say, 

‘my head hurts - too much to drink.’

Shaking your head, 

disgust spills out.

‘Again!’ you state.

Won’t bother to mention the 

Gold tipped mushrooms, 

the vision quest

or LSD ….. 

I stumble, then fall, 

unstoppable I keep falling, 

hit the dirt, scratch my outside.

But it’s the inside scratch catching my attention,

waving a white flag, 

in the bottom of the heap where falling is 

no longer an option. 

This walk back will kill me. 

It doesn’t kill me.

I walk back alone.

In the silence I can listen with 

my feet, feel with my ears, 

taste with each breath, and

see with all of my body. 

The path is still long, 

is it progress I am experiencing?

Up ahead I see you. 

‘Hello my friend, I love you. 

I found you again,

on the middle path. 

What have you seen? 

What have you learnt?’

‘Not much,’ your only reply. 

You look sad,

on the verge of death, 

is life killing you? 

Is lack of life killing you?

I walk ahead, for I see a mountain, 

‘Let’s climb it.’ I say. 

‘There’s no path,’ you reply. 

‘We can make our own path, 

It’ll be fun.’

‘No thanks,’ your only reply. 

I climbed that mountain.

Stumbled along the way,

scraped my knees, 

slipped on the ice, 

fell on my a*s - that hurt! 

Limited air, crushing my lungs.

I sucked in the summit 

the crispness, the freshness, 

the winds picked up, 

clouds surrounded, 

I descended with a mind full of 

unleashedness … yes!

Looking down - I try to see you.

I can’t. Need not worry. 

For in my extremities, 

your path, my path, 

both lead the same way home. 

And one day my friend, 

we shall meet again.

Author's Note

a steam of consciousness

Reviews

[emmajoy]

An extraordinary opening of mind and door into it!
'.. Lost in the extremities ~ that’s where I’ll be
I love you my friend ~ but .. '

As you often do, you pause your words, musing a while, then as you do in life, off you go, out of reach - alive with a roar of yes, yes, YES!

Whereas I, the wanderer.. the lingerer, life, takes the slow route allowing time to gather sights and sighs. For me, slow, slow, slow-slow is a fine dance! There's sweet time to study swirls of petrol in puddles, the heightened sheen on a beetle's shell and see the sameness.. Others might go nearer stars - they, like you, live in the glory of somewhere else. I see minuteae and am happy, feeling that my long gaze magnifies their secrets into a shy glory. Learning reaches the same radiant comfort zone. Perhaps.

And I feel the same when I read a piece of fine writing, such as yours, ' .. For in my extremities,
your path, my path, ~ both lead the same way home. ~ And one day my friend, ~ we shall meet again.'

Your words excite me - always have. At the end of the day is each to his or her own. Perhaps.

Forgive, too long a review.

[KWP]

as usual a lovely review and no forgiveness - gotta love a long and hearty review from you my one and only - so it seems I am the roar and you the wanderer and that means girlfriend we are on the same path and one day we shall surely meet again :D how lucky we are ...

thank you oh gorgeous one - whenever I see your name I am lavished with a smile - now that's a real treat X

[emmajoy]

Sending cheque in minutes, dear E! Your writes always make me over-think! But forgive too much of it. Off and away now.. must.. Will cooeee soon. x

[andrew mitchell]

Two minds come to mind, the procrastinator and the adventurer and together they see their differences.

[Einstein Noodle]

really am drawn to this:
"I descended with a mind full of
unleashedness … yes!"
such exuberance ;) the middle road ...so much can be said about it eh!? your poem reminds me of something i read that Jesus said about heaven ..
" 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
interesting ;)
E.

[KWP]

ooh thanks for that E - I am already thinking about that - so interesting how religions and beliefs and ways of life align at the core - there's only one truth - likes to play hide and seek - but there's only one

lovely to see you

[Einstein Noodle]

yes..the truth is the truth ... i think perhaps it is our minds that play tho ;)) hugs and joy my friend... nice to catch you on line this morning ;)

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I have read this epic tale two ways. Firstly as unrequited love as the protagonist tries to connect with another who is unwilling to enter a relationship. Second the protagonist is on a journey of discovery and is battling their inner, more cautious self. It has the quality of the spoken word, of being brutal but strong.

[KWP]

I think both your interpretations work - thanks for that :D

What I am trying to convey is we are all different, some need to experience the extremities to learn, others are happy plodding away on the middle road (I am the former) but at the end of the day whichever road you take, fast tracked or not, we ware all heading in the same direction home.

I very much appreciate you dropping by and giving me your view - cheers my friend X

[duff]

It's always fun to read poetry that stretches the imagination. Pulls at the psyche and challenges what is normality. Stepping outside ones self into something that cannot be labeled. Great work. I like it.

[KWP]

Hey Duff,
Cheers my friend for stopping by - always nice to see you.I appreciate your words and glad you enjoyed X

[duff]

Hello there. You are very welcome. Another stellar piece of writing:)

[Alessander]

This does very much remind me of stream of consciousnesses - for some reason like Jim Morrison leading me into the desert.

It also reminds me of Blake's visionary lines "the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom..."

Lsd, doors of perception, seems like you're trying to drag a reluctant accoutant out into the adventures of love, nature, life.

Fav part

"Squaring yourself off"

It's kinda double meaning for me.

Person's a square. Keeping himself/herself in a square - cublicled safety.

Cool stuff.

[KWP]

The road to excess leads to a place of wisdom - thank you for that - I haven't read that one before - and - this very thought is something I have pondered often (as you can see in the poem above) The universe is within us, all of it, nothing left out, so even the dirtiest, darkest, smelliest, most stale is within us, when we accept that it's there without batting an eyelid, hmmmmmm, then where will we be? X

Thanks for your thought - always appreciate your words X

[Alessander]

Yes, I think the reason why your piece reminded me of the doors/blake is the stream of consciousness, but also about risking to take the Dionysian journey.

You would like Blake.

You echoe many of the same sentiments

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour - Blake

And naturally, Blake influenced Jim Morrison.

Some even speculated that Blake was shrooming, which would explain a lot!

[KWP]

nothing wrong with that - just another expanded view of reality - we miss so much in an unaltered state :D X

[Tom]

They say variety is the spice of life, or to quote Tennyson, " ''tis better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all" ....

https://youtu.be/0KaWSOlASWc

[KWP]

love that song - Thanks my friend - and yes I agree with your sentiments X

[Ardra]

Is it our soul n body too :) who is not on the same path...and some point.. we loose the fight and give up :P my conclusion of your poem :)
(not sure if you meant it in that way ..)

[KWP]

hey thanks :D - interesting interpretation - I like it - only difference with me is - I would never give up, I'm just not built that way - have a great day XXX

[Ardra]

hehe i dint mean about you :P
am sure from your poems that you don't give up...
It was just my interpretation of it :)

good day , to you too

[KWP]

yeah isn't it funny, sometimes I write poems and people instantly think if there is a story or event in there it must be my past ... then other's like you read it for what it is ... a buncha words :D cheers my friend X

[Ardra]

:) sometimes we write maybe we found inspiration from many things that happens around us.... a mere look or a image can spark our writing isn't it.. i like making my own stories out of the poems i read... (nothing against the poet..just how my brain works ;)