my father used to say
"sometimes you have to go backwards
in order to move forward"
and sometimes that's true
but sometimes i've gotten stuck
in the backwards
stuck in the tangled webs
roots
and unseen hazards that dwell there
i have to look backwards
sometimes
to get my bearings
but then
a forward step
a swish and a turn
a sidestep
no hurry
because there's no end
to where we're going
no hurry
i savor what isee
smell, touch, taste
give thanks
take a step
and that step moves me
sometimes a little bit ahead
sometimes a slight curve back
in case there's something
that was forgotten
this is not a race
there are no losers
sometimes i just close my eyes
and let the current carry me
when i don't have the stuff
to carry myself
the current will not forsake us
i hate to say that my father
was right
that there are treasures
in the past
that help guide the future
but the past is only a place to visit
it is no longer a good place to dwell
and so i've learned
to move more gracefully
less urgently
less anxious about who will
arrive ahead of me
all i want is a hand to hold
as i dream
and dance
and love
and seek
and wonder
there is no end
there is just beginnings
and so
i just take
another step
