poetry prompt

The Path

We all want to believe that We are on the road less travelled It is very comforting to believe that We are in tune with the spiritual life And we are privy to the one true path

In the interest of full disclosure, though We are floundering in the dark with No more insight than the next person We have no monopoly on wisdom and we are scared We are scarred by our missteps

Life is a crapshoot and there are no winners The secret to life is that there is no secret No magical formula, no incantations Nothing which will guarantee salvation We just play the game and take our chances

Roll down your windows and enjoy the ride Find comfort in the questions When you run out of questions you are done We must never forget the real reason We are on The Path

“Be patient toward all that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers… Live the questions now.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

This poem was in response to a prompt forwarded to me. Thank you, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), for including me.

©️ 2021, Rusty Alderson