The Sign

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 13 Aug 2015, 18:57

The Sign

'Twas an old country road I was walking down when I came upon the sign,
an old piece of wood which was wedged in the ground and covered with many a vine.
In a fit of pursuit, I yanked off the thorns to discover what the sign had to say,
but little did I know as I dirtied my hands that to my surprise and dismay,
the message was short, clear, and to the point, making nearly no sense to me:
"Where there is a will, there is a way, and what will be will be."

"But I don't understand," my heart cried out. "If we can make things happen with will,
then why don't we do it all of the time, since 'what will be' can kill?"
I sighed as I turned to walk away, hunching my shoulders low,
Hoping as I chewed my lower lip that someday...
Someday I'd know.

Return to the Sign

'Twas twenty years later, we'd all grown up, when I decided to visit my sign,
that old piece of wood which was wedged in the ground and made of the sturdiest pine.
Eagerly, I packed some lunch and headed for the car,
early in the morning, for the journey would be far.
After driving several hours, past forests, lakes, and streams,
finally--oh finally!--I found my place of dreams.
That dusty country road from my childhood,
which held all my past emotions, both bad and good.
And as the person I had been came flooding back to me,
I hurried down the road to see if I could see,
"Where there is a will, there is a way, and what will be will be."

All of a sudden, there it was, looming straight ahead,
only now it said something different: "To know everything is to be dead."

"Well, HECK!" I said angrily, glaring up at the sky.
But then I realized something: I did not want to die.
So to myself, I'd never lie.

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 13 Aug 2015, 23:01

Very interesting. Nicely done!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 13 Aug 2015, 23:03

Thanks, Russell! I appreciate that!

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 13 Aug 2015, 23:10

You are most welcome!

gali · Post by **gali** » 14 Aug 2015, 00:30

It is indeed interesting and well written.

DATo · Post by **DATo** » 14 Aug 2015, 08:13

I read your poem several times before the philosophical questions it raises began to become clearer. Almost immediately after, Goethe's Faust came to mind. Sometimes we are driven, against our better judgement and to our own detriment to know what is better left unknown.

Nicely done!