I walked along
Along I walked, and came across
Two roads, two paths, one wide, one narrow
One to joy, and one to sorrow.
One with many, and one with few.
I chose the joy, I chose the narrow.
I walked along
Along I walked, the road grew coarse,
the stones sharp, the knolls steep.
I walked along feet by feet.
A man appeared in cushioned shoes,
smooth hands, and eyes of blue.
“Ahead is rough, the other smooth; ahead is toil, the other laze.
Why along this path you tread?” he asked.
“Ahead is hope, the other bleak; ahead is right, the other wrong,” I tisked.
“The wrong, the right, the right, the wrong,
Who decides what’s right and wrong?”
“Not you,” I said, and walked along.
I walked along
Along I walked, and came across
A man with bare toes,
calloused hands, and eyes of gold.
We walked along feet by feet.
O’er mountains, through valleys, by light of day, by dark of night
We walked along flight by flight.
I chose the narrow, I chose the eternal,
The other being quite ephemeral.
Not alone, I walked along.
This was very interesting. Obviously, over the course of this poem, a person is walking/climbing a very difficult road by themselves. This is an allegory much like the “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, where the difficult decisions you make are probably the best for you. I do like how you brought the more social aspect into it though. People influencing the POV character, trying to bring them away from their goals. I believe this is a good point to bring up because many people in life take the easier road, not because it’s easier, but because we’re told to.
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This is beautiful, I love the way you made your poem an allegory for life, and how you included the part where people judge and criticise other people, and that life needs to be lived on the individual’s terms, and not the haters.
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What a beautiful and powerful poem, McKinley. I love your celestial diction with a soft sound pattern reminiscent of a lullaby.
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