the winding road

where the path leads from here
is hazy; the future does not like
to offer more than a glimpse
of Possibility

it branches from choice to choice;
at some, dead ends--
retrace the steps, start again.
others fork and fork again
'til beginning is lost in the mists of memory

twisting and turning
i climb mountains
dip into valleys
sunshine shifts to shade
dark shadows drift across with menace
then vanish as the vista opens once again

sometimes
when i crest a hill
i can gaze
across the expanse
to a far-off place
where joy beckons me onward

i stop a moment,
take a breath:
then step again into the journey
seeking the paths
that lead to where i wish to go

and wonder at the back of my mind
if the vision was true
or a mirage