{"id":3374,"date":"2020-01-07T08:09:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T13:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=3374"},"modified":"2020-01-01T16:34:03","modified_gmt":"2020-01-01T21:34:03","slug":"onward-a-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=3374","title":{"rendered":"Onward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Age 50 is a milestone; another of life\u2019s markers along the way.<\/p>\n

At this time, I find myself at the side of a road, taking the time to pause and reflect<\/p>\n

and I glance neither back at the asphalt traveled, nor ahead where this trail leads.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m wholly distracted by ants, darting every which way over the stones –<\/p>\n

sheer determination, seemingly inexhaustible energy; some unfathomable purpose.<\/p>\n

One ant labours hauling a carcass of some larger bug; it\u2019s his Sisyphean rock!<\/p>\n

Along side, and then up over successive stones, the ant pushes onward.<\/p>\n

Passing milestones will mark time and distance,<\/em><\/p>\n

not achievement and progress; not energy and purpose;<\/em><\/p>\n

and peering forward and back like some stupefied Janus<\/em><\/p>\n

provides no true measurement of self; only details without essence.<\/em><\/p>\n

I stare and blink, then forcibly hold my eyes shut<\/p>\n

turning thoughts over in my mind \u2013 here and now \u2013 roadside with ants<\/p>\n

I\u2019m struggling to focus beyond the kaleidoscope of past memories<\/p>\n

of my youth and the paths chosen:<\/p>\n

vivid, colourful images, yet distorted, all moving sideways, front to back<\/p>\n

Bewildering time shifts; far more fiction than reality<\/p>\n

For there\u2019s no comfort in re-treading forgotten pathways<\/p>\n

Nothing but empty feelings; not regrets, but a gnawing, pit-of-the-stomach ache<\/p>\n

and a realization: half-baked, stale memories are indigestible.<\/p>\n

Self-consciously, I look down at my leg, and at the dirt beneath it,<\/p>\n

and at the shadow the leg casts in the dirt.<\/p>\n

I trace along the ground, where the darkness meets light;<\/p>\n

my knee, shin, ankle \u2013 noting my shadow is much larger\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sitting here alone. There\u2019s more than my bones and skin.<\/p>\n

I hold the thought that I\u2019m here with all those who have met me<\/p>\n

My friends and family; lasting unions, even fleeting connections;<\/p>\n

all who I\u2019ve known are ever-present in that elongated shadow –<\/p>\n

providing me not with a specific location, but a measure of something more:<\/p>\n

a wondrous shade to be comforted within \u2013 here and now \u2013 roadside with ants<\/p>\n

I fixate on the horizon \u2013 needing to discern some landmark that can place me<\/p>\n

and, perhaps, place this road and the direction I\u2019m heading.<\/p>\n

Wisps of distant clouds and a light breeze against my face bring sweeping realizations:<\/p>\n

I gaze far ahead, appreciating now, that details are for the young.<\/p>\n

Perspective is only found in big sky and where that thin line marks our earth.<\/p>\n

On every road there are bumps, turns and many long bends;<\/p>\n

yet, be confident about your direction, determined in your stride,<\/p>\n

and trust in the horizon line before you.<\/p>\n

Passing milestones will mark time and distance,<\/em><\/p>\n

not achievement and progress; not energy and purpose;<\/em><\/p>\n

take to the road, aware of the shadow your presence casts,<\/em><\/p>\n

and trusting you\u2019ll arrive one day at your spot on the horizon.<\/em><\/p>\n

The ants continue their tasks, unconcerned that I\u2019ve stood<\/p>\n

casting a long shadow, out onto the asphalt.<\/p>\n

Time to pick up my feet and push onward,<\/p>\n

lock-stepped with my loved ones.<\/p>\n

Time to dance with my accompanying shadow<\/p>\n

pass those milestones that lie ahead.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Chris George <\/em><\/p>\n

June 2012<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Age 50 is a milestone; another of life\u2019s markers along the way. At this time, I find myself at the side of a road, taking the time to pause and reflect and I glance neither back at the asphalt traveled, nor ahead where this trail leads. But I\u2019m wholly distracted by ants, darting every which…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[14,80],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3374"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10850,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3374\/revisions\/10850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}