By Isabelle Gerhart
“Welcome to the road,”
They said.
“What road?” I said.
There are no cobblestones through the desert.
I take a step forward anyway.
Cracks radiate outward.
“Where is the road?” I said.
There is no path through the pines.
I take a step forward anyway.
Flowers grow under my soles.
“How do I follow the road?” I said.
There is no dock to launch my boat.
I take a step forward anyway.
Ripples flow from my raft.
“Who will be on the road?” I said.
There is no map through the wilderness.
I take a step forward anyway.
Ruins rise behind me.
“When will I reach the end of the road?” I said.
There are no clocks through the country.
I take a step forward anyway.
Mountains crest behind me.
“Why must I walk the road?” I said.
There are no rules through the valleys.
I take a step forward anyway.
Meadows spread in my wandering wake.
I see someone up ahead.
“What should I do?”
“Where should I go?”
“How will I know?”
“Who should I be?”
“When will I learn?”
“Why do I exist?”
They said to me.
I look behind me.
My purpose
Radiates,
Grows,
Flows,
Rises,
Crests, and
Spreads
Behind me.
I see the road,
I found the road,
I followed the road,
I met the road,
I know the road,
I walked the road.
The road discovered me.
My life made the road.
It has been carved
Through my choices.
I did not stray
Even when I didn’t know the way.
The someone looks at me.
I must answer them about the road.
But how can I tell them what to look for
When I made my own road signs?
But how can I tell them where to go
When I didn’t know the directions myself?
But how can I tell them how to be
When I had to learn it for myself?
But how can I tell them who to love
When I have made so many mistakes and rebounds?
But how can I tell them when to move
When I didn’t know where to place my own feet?
But how can I tell them why the world turns
When I only realized the reasons for nights always turning to daylight in retrospect?
The road is an unpaved question.
You can only answer it by living.
I turn to look this new someone in the eye.
They don’t know it yet, but they are at the beginning of something wonderful.
They must walk their path in the direction they choose.
Then they will learn through experience and love every bend.
“Welcome to the road,”
I say.