Journey

The Darkness tugs at my sleeve
But I linger rapt by the view
The path behind me stretches away
Showing its turns and switchbacks
The imperceptible steepening slope
You never notice the grade until the end
When the heights steal your breath

Reluctantly I turn away
Am lead to the top of the path
Where he shows me a universe among the stars
Beyond the edge and floating free
My passage is arranged
I need only take flight

But I am weary of the way
My burden chafes
And I am loathe to seek another path
Begin another journey
I have only just finished this
And the climb was so steep
Right now I feel complete and content
Is there no rest or reward
I chose this burden and this path
I hesitate to set it aside so soon

Ah, but every journey has an end
And always the next to begin
Yes, the journey is reward enough
A turn through the stars would be nice
I nod to the Darkness
He indicates the way
At the threshold I hesitate
Not with second thoughts
But with homage
To all I have seen and done and left behind
To all the journeys and paths that lead me to here
And finally, with a weary smile
I take the first step
And breath a last long sigh