Journey

Journey

A journey of a thousand miles …
These words come back to me
with each step I take.

I look back over the winding road
that I've traversed,
my footprints fading from sight.
Each new step prompts memories
of the many footprints that now
dot the landscape.

The winds of growth
may obliterate the trail
but the map of this journey
is forever in my mind.

There, a collection in the dust
where weariness gave pause;
there, distance, where my strides
were longer, rejuvenated by
the promise of new horizons.

I smile at the remembered words.
This journey has no end
and only footprints traced
on paper scraps will mark
my passage.

An entry for Round 45 of "Shadows and Light Poetry Contest" 
Prompt: Open – free verse
Line Limit: 40
Line Count: 23