In the Meantime…

I have a destination

Down the road a bit.

It will take a while to get there;

In the meantime, I’ll just sit.

Here on this peeling park bench

Among the sweetest smelling pines,

Recalling things of no importance

From long-forgotten times.

A kaleidoscope of characters

Skitters through my mind;

A rag-tag bunch of travelers

Around my memories entwined.

I had no idea at the outset,

I’d come back time and time again

To smell a scent, or hear a voice,

Or see a long-lost friend.

They’ll walk with me along the way,

Then drift away again.

To be joined by new companions

Just around the bend.

Some make me laugh, some make me cry,

But all are welcomed guests

While I sit here on this park bench

For my end-of-Journey rest.

As I continue on my travels,

The pathway twists and turns.

Many a time I’ve lost my way.

Bridges behind me burned.

My ever-present consorts,

Sorrow and Regret,

Hover in the shadows,

Lest, God forbid, I should forget.

So as I make my way back Home,

About the best that can be hoped for

Is to have learned the lessons meant for me:

To have taken less and given more.