by Teresa Weimer

Created on: August 20, 2009

On life's great path I start to wander

Naive, I begin a search for answers

By no twist of fate the road would fork

Down those roads who knows what lurks

Which road will I make my route?

Each one a teacher in life's pursuit

One might lead to fortune or disaster

My eyes towards heaven I seek the answer

I pray for God's wisdom not to roam

Upon the wrong path into a life unknown

Where pain and misery I'll be destined to find

But his voice stays silent he gives no sign

The only voice that I can hear

Is the little one whispering in my ear

My conscience talking says to me

Which road is it going to be?

As if a looking glass then could I see

My future staring back at me

The first road appears adventurous

Much more alluring and spontaneous

The other seems dull and practical

Who would choose it but a fool?

Then strangely my soul split in two

And each road could I now pursue

At our journeys end we'll meet again

My souls will rejoin to fully mend

We'll share with each other a closer look

Learning from the choices the other took

At our journey's end as it came to be

There stood just the two of me

One self looked worn and abused

Lured by illusion into a life misused

What happened to you I asked this self

Came from my voice of radiant health

It was temptation of a life carefree

One without responsibility

At each fork the shorter path I took

Never stopping to take a closer look

I carefully avoided any road of length

The one requiring too much strength

But each short cut just grew longer

Harder because I never got stronger

I embraced every weakness learning to cheat

Only cheating myself I soon learned defeat

Now tell me your story I really must know

What you did on your journey to achieve such a glow

You're the picture of health and appear so refreshed

Why didn't the long road beat you to death?

What appeared to be harder and yes was longer

Did indeed make me stronger

I learned to think and overcome

The many hardships I took on

In the end they brought reward

While you looked for short cuts my life soared

You took the easier path too good to be true

So you got what you earned karma in lieu

No feat without a price is possible to bare

You get what you earn you get what's fair

If you work at nothing there is no gain

You can't find happiness if you haven't found pain

If you accept each obstacle to face it head on

There are valuable lessons you'll be sure to learn

The easiest path hides the longest of roads

Somewhere in the middle it doubles ten fold

I conquered life instead of it conquering me

And in your reflection it's plain to see

God deals us his hand to us as a test

Hoping we'll learn to be uniquely our best

If you choose to cheat you'll be cheating yourself

If you seek only riches you'll never find wealth

If you live as a taker never choosing to give

A poor man's life you'll be destined to live

If you give of yourself never seeking return

An abundance of riches you'll be sure to earn

The weaker of selves then did proclaim

If I could do it again I wouldn't do it the same

For each step that I took upon the wrong track

Life stood by while I broke my back

Each time I sought for mere personal gain

Only misfortune did I then sustain

Each time I took what wasn't rightfully mine

There was always a penalty or very steep fine

I'm grateful we parted to join in the end

As I've learned something sacred from myself, my friend

We are truly one in the same you and I

For each of us carries the other inside

Our choices to purse life's many cross roads

Make each of us different as our lives have shown

For there is good and bad in every being

Use your life as mirror as it's well worth seeing

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