I glimpse through the curtains
A flickering light,
And my imagination takes hold
On this stagnant spring night.

I fancy it a signal,
A call to something great;
It’s the start of an adventure,
The beckoning of fate.

When I investigate its source,
I know my life will change,
I’m in the beginning of a book
And my quest’s on the next page.

I’ll join up with a band of outcasts
To find a missing link,
There’ll be riddles for us to solve,
And an antagonist to outthink.

We’ll encounter many obstacles
As we fight to reach our goal,
Like a turncoat within our ranks,
Or an unexpected troll.

We’ll make camp along the roads we walk,
And dine on cheese and bread,
And our enemies will dog our steps,
But we’ll remain one pace ahead.

At some point along the way
I’ll discover a hidden skill,
It’ll be something supernatural,
Like the power of my will.

I’ll use it in the ******
For the ultimate defeat,
To overcome the opposition
And force them to retreat.

And we’ll celebrate our victory
Of evil overcome,
But our optimism will soon die down
As we realize what’s to come,

Our journey has reached its end
And we’ll be ****** aside by fate,
The world no longer needs us,
Now that we’ve accomplished something great.

The only thing that’s left to do
Is go back to where we’re from,
Back to unfamiliar lives
As the people we’ve become.

But when I finally get back home,
I’ll have nothing to regret,
I did what I was meant to do,
And no one will soon forget.

I made the difference only I could make,
And all is for the better,
I answered the call of destiny
And am no longer called its debtor.

I wish this were the case
In the reality that I’m in,
But another flash of light
Reminds me where I am.

Sitting in my bedroom,
As much in debt as ever,
Imagining that I was part
Of some life-changing endeavor.

I wish that fate would show its face,
And tell me what to do,
Even just a hint
Would be enough to get me through.

As I think back on my story
I see the light again,
And I wonder, if I go outside
Will my adventure at last begin?

Maybe this is it
And destiny chose tonight.
Maybe fate is waiting
For me to investigate the light.

Yesterday I took a walk,
And passed between the changing trees,
Their leaves were clinging
With final breaths of life,
Some had fallen, given up,
Waiting to be dust on the forest floor.
But I paid no mind to nature’s course;
My thoughts were focused on useless things.
I walked right past a breathless sight:
A family of deer
Sipping from a flowing stream.
But next week’s pay and due dates flashed,
And I passed right by their frightened dash.
Then, far to my right, two bunnies played,
But I missed that too,
And trampled blindly on.
High above me, in the thinning trees,
A white-furred squirrel hoped from branch to branch,
He jumped right above me for half a mile,
But I never looked up,
Was never caused to smile.
These I missed,
But there were others as well:
A high-flying eagle, a swift-moving fox,
But my mind was circling all those useless things,
Things that worrying never quite solves.
And as I think back on yesterday
To my long, stewing walk,
I regret not stopping
And looking around,
At the beauty of nature
And the joy to be found.
And, in reality,
All those things never happened:
The jumping squirrel,
The playing rabbits,
Or the drinking deer,
And I won’t go back today,
In case they aren’t there,
But I’ll imagine they are,
And that I saw them for real,
So one day they’ll be memories,
And give me something to feel.

Upon this poem I entertain relief,
From an uncertain journey with lack of reprieve.
A prayer delivers the same result,
A warmth in my being, an absolving of fault.
My thoughts are freed from their hampered state,
No longer caged by triviality or the dullness of fate.
Daily routine had exiled imagination,
But with this escape my thoughts upend reputation.
The daily grind had dampened my soul,
But looking toward heaven I envision being whole.
So small a thing to provide such release,
So fleeting a moment in a life so deplete.
But it’s just enough to keep madness at bay,
These times that I write and those times that I pray.

I once was on an endless journey
Of turning left and right,
There was bramble all around me, only
Nothing not alike.

Though none were up above me
I could not see the sky,
All except my inner strength,
I had been left alone to die.

Deserted by the moon and stars,
I was even without light,
But desperate to be free again,
I braved the endless night.

Time escaped me, also
I traveled a day, a week, a year,
But my body never weakened,
Nor hunger did I fear.

Even if I neared the end
I had no way to be sure,
So, I promised myself it was close ahead,
Just one more set of turns.

But the exit never greeted me
And disappointment, it grew strong
I had broken so many promises,
My credibility was gone.

I could no longer reassure my mind,
So I faced the truth instead,
I prepared myself for eternity –
And an endless path ahead.

It’s no longer the escape it used to be,
My thoughts- they’re too full,
They can’t let me be free.

The gift of deliverance,
How I cherished it long,
The hours of relief;
All those times I was gone.

I was taken away,
With people I trust,
But the gate- it won’t open,
I’ve allowed it to rust.

All those places I travelled;
That wonderful feeling of welcome,
It’s all starting to fade now,
No…I can’t let this happen.

But I know it’s no use,
I’ve tried again and again,
Reality keeps intruding,
I can still see its grin.

Oh, how I wish I could go back,
To how it was before,
When I could walk freely in that realm,
When there was no lock on the door.

But instead I’m sitting, staring,
And all I see are pages,
It’s not like it used to be,
Where are all the dragons and mages?

I stare intently at the words,
But register only spaces,
There’s no one there to greet me,
No familiar faces.

This is when it happens,
When my reality takes the wheel,
It scares away my one reprieve,
It tells me what to feel.

No longer is there comfort here
Between this tattered cover,
My real life is weighing down on me;
Begging that I take over.

I gently close the book I love,
And resist the urge to cry,
But it’s time to focus on myself right now,
It’s time to say goodbye.

My survival becomes uncertain
As my feet begin to drag,
I stumble ten steps forward
Then concede and raise my flag.
But just before defeat sets in
I hear your voice call out,
My eyes begin their frantic search,
Too unreasonable to doubt.
A seeming speck on the horizon,
I see you lift your hand,
And it suddenly seems so short a distance,
As I press forth across the land.
And though I find it odd
That you remain in place
I continue to rush forward,
Longing to see your face.
Drawing nearer to your wavering form,
My heart begins to fall,
I shake my head in disbelief,
You were a mirage, after all.

Before this moment,
I'd felt only resistance.
But I can see the goal now,
Far off in the distance.
My doubts and my fears
Had corrupted my mind.
They had hidden the path,
Rendered me blind.
But even in weakness
My destiny prevailed,
The path never mattered,
I could never have failed.
My future lies waiting,
And though all is not shown,
Just by feeling its presence
My courage has grown.
I had almost surrendered,
Victim to my hindrance,
Instead I stand as victor,
And can smile in remembrance.
When I look back on my life
And all the battles I fought,
I can properly count the failures
As crucial to the plot.  
My fate has reassured me,
Provided peace of mind,
I can look forward to my future
And the obstacles I'll climb.