The Path of Life

In the valley, youth plays in a field of grass
Scarcely noticing that there is somewhere to go
Mimicking the songbirds as they perch on a twig,
Watching the ants as they drudge away the day.
The babe learns soon enough to stand
And so he does, seeing o’er the tops of windblown hay
To something that catches his eye in a blink.
And there, the first inclination to step out is born.
Perhaps seeming, at first, like stalking his prey:
A volley to the left, then a charge to the right,
As if this vision that provokes him so may get away,
He wanders, he wonders, until a clear vision erupts.
With age and agility, determination sets in
And he has a clear notion to get himself from here to there
And his Path of Life becomes defined, his heart resolute,
For the place of dreams, his goals, his desires is clear.
Now that the path is laid out, he can decorate it
With flowers of dance, with shrubs of exploration,
With rainbows of love and pets of joy,
Companions on this, his life, where he reigns free.
Finally, the path ascends upward into the mountain
Where doubt, pessimism, fear and advancing age
Creep into his mind and must be fought off, sword in hand.
Here he knows that the best, he has accomplished.
But sooner or later, the greatest challenge of his life
Will be upon him and he struggles up the mountainside
Through thickets of brush and the chill of snow,
For no one guides him here: at the end of the path is the Self.