No one ever accused me of being a poet and I’m not going to pretend I know anything about the craft. I’m submitting a poem this month because that’s all that came to me after being sick and in quarantine for 10 days (missed 4 days of work). I am now going to try to read all the IWSG Day posts I missed from people who visited my blog and then I’m going to try to read as many of the WEP entries as I can (I will likely fall short of reading all the entries before the deadline, but it is what it is). It’s been a rough 2 weeks and I wrote this poem to help combat my feelings of being overwhelmed.
~
My Way
I looked around one day,
And realized, I’d lost my way.
There was no path for me to follow,
But there were footprints in the hollow.
So many legacies left behind,
One would help me discover mine.
All I had to do, was take a step,
A step or two in someone else’s shoes.
But which way to go, which prints to try,
The ones too big, you can’t reach that high.
Or the ones so small, there’s nowhere more to grow.
Perhaps the ones, long and narrow,
Full of fears you can never know.
I looked around, overwhelmed with choices,
Big ones, small ones, deep ones, shallow ones.
The prints were my only way forward,
Regrets of a wrong choice, I could not afford.
Then I saw it, one pair on their own.
Footprints leading away from the rest.
Up the side of the hollow floor,
Footprints creating a new path never worn.
Someone brave enough to climb up and out,
To seek a path of their own without doubt.
But would I go that way, or would I stay?
Stay with familiar prints going the usual ways.
Each path led to a future unclear,
But those prints represented that 1% fear.
That small chance that could be good or bad,
While the other prints were safe and clear.
Perhaps to fear regrets that have not come,
Is the problem that I took on.
Any path could work if I chose it,
If I rose above and didn’t abuse it.
I looked at the footprints once more,
I’d made up my mind which way to go.
I’d go my own way and leave my legacy,
Perhaps my path would help someone like me.
~
FCA- 284-words- My Way 2019 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas
**Update- For some reason, many comments are being delayed, not for approval, just being delayed. I’ve come across several that didn’t post until hours later. Sorry. I’m trying to figure it out. If you leave a comment and don’t see it right away, it’s okay. It’s probably just delayed. 🙁 **
Please visit other entries in this hop and enjoy some funny, scary, touching, and thought-provoking stories. You’ll be so glad you did.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
25 replies on “Footprints #WEPFF Challenge featuring My Way #amwriting #flashfiction”
The best path is the one we choose for ourselves, right? Lovely poem.
You look like a poet to me!
Hope life is going to be kinder to you & you feel better soon!
That was wonderful.
Very wise choice. Make your own path and find all the treasures others haven’t even if it scares you.
Such a courageous path.
Your poem is a beacon. A brightly shining, beautiful beacon.
Thank you – and I hope you are feeling better and much less overwhelmed.
Loved your poem. I guess many of us, writers, chose a path of our own. As my grandmother said: “Better do and regret it than not do and regret it.” Let’s do!
Inspirational – thanks!
It’s lovely and very telling. Strike out and keep moving, the answer is never easy it takes courage, and you’ve shown plenty. Well done!
Hi, Toi, I’m so glad you are feeling better!
You may say that you don’t know much about writing poetry, but I thought this was stunning! I love how you used the theme to explore the paths we take in life and the struggle of making those life-defining choices.
I’m sorry life has been rough for you. I hope things get better for you soon.
Trying again.
I hope you are much, much better.
Love your poem.
Striking out takes courage, but so often the benefits are bigger than the fear.
I commented earlier and it didn’t show up. I apologize if I end up double commenting.
I think you’re a wonderful poet, and I love how you used the theme to explore the struggle we face with selecting the path we want to take through life. Well done!
I commented earlier and it didn’t show up. I apologize if I end up double commenting.
I think you’re a wonderful poet, and I love how you used the theme to explore the struggle we face with selecting the path we want to take through life. Well done!
Not a poet, Toi? You kid us, right? Maybe because it’s so heartfelt, it is amazing and has shades of Robert Frost’s The Road Less Travelled. So sorry you’ve been so sick. Gah. Hope you’re well now.
Toi, thank you for taking the time to write for WEP’s final challenge for the year when you must have so many things to catch up on. We appreciate your loyalty and hard work and the way you inspire us.
I hope your holidays are happy and filled with joy!
Denise
Hi,
I hope you feel better soon. I like the dichotomy in your poem. In my opinion, it brings out the association with struggle. A struggle that is won when the person in the poem decides to make his or her own footprints.
Have a Merry Christmas and a great crossover into 2020.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
Beautifully heartfelt. I love the pace, the rhymes and rhythm of this poem. Poetry enables us to express a wide range of feelings and emotions as well as sending messages of hope. No need to worry about plot or character building. A very liberating exercise. You are a poet Toi, no misgivings to have. Well done.
The path less travelled is often the most interesting and the one which enables you to grow, to find your true self and peace. Have a wonderful Christmas time.
Hi. Well you are such a wonderful poet! I loved the rhyme as well as the theme. You surely left your footprint there!
Wonderful poem! I always struggle with feeling that what I create is (like me) stupid and not good enough. I do it anyway because it’s the only thing I know how to do.
~The Real Cie~
Finding your own way is the hardest part. So much doubt and always the fear that even if you’ve made the best choice possible, it might not be the right one in the end. You’ve captured that very well.
I’m sorry you’ve been so unwell. When prose fails, poetry can get the job done 🙂 Thank you for posting even when you weren’t 100% yourself. Blazing one’s own trail is always more challenging and more rewarding than following anyone else’s footsteps. Hope you feel better soon.
Wish you all the joys of the season and happy New Year 2020.
You have the way of a poet with words, Toi. As a non-poem writer, I suspect we are allowed to ignore the conventions – anyway many poets play with them. And I note praise from poets here. Anyway, I liked your poem and the sentiments – as well as the use of footprints and paths.
For not being a poet, your entry has a great sense of rhythm to it. Along with showing the strange nature of destiny. Well done, Toi.
Lovely, thoughtful poem. Hope things get brighter
Glad you made it to a post (and I’ll bet you’re ahead of me in getting through all the visits!). Hope you are feeling much better, and appreciate the inspiration of your poem, the determination to head onward.
Lovely poem – it hits the right notes – I can relate to a lot of what you say. Hope you are feeling better.
Hi Toi – that’s a wonderful poetic tale … loved it – so much better to be unique and be able to rely on oneself and not others … cheers Hilary