On The Road (Poetry)

(Or We’ll get there when we get there)

Here is the map of progress —
see just how far we’ve come!
so many miles — uphill and down
yet still we are not done

We’ve kept to all our targets
we’ve stuck to what we said
not dallied in the margins
yet still there’s more ahead

We planned it so precisely
and timed it to a T
so far as I remember
that’s the pitch you put to me

But all of that was theory
and maybe maps can lie
and we’d have travelled further
had life not passed us by

I’m feeling old and weary
too tired to journey on
I’ve had enough of winter
I’m sick to death of sun

I need to rest my body
I ache right to the bone
I’d hate to be a burden
so you best go on alone ...

Perhaps at some far crossroads
when you’re almost on your knees
you’ll find you’ve lost your compass
and you can’t see wood for trees

But it’s not too late to detour
somewhere off the beaten track
take a one-way trip to nowhere
with no thought of coming back

There’s a scenic route unwinding
that’s not shown on any chart
contours drawn from understanding
we could follow it by heart

and reduce our pace at leisure
as horizons open wide
no grid references to measure
we should just enjoy the ride —

take the road that has no signpost
cruise in automatic drive
let the wheel of fortune guide us
and arrive when we arrive