The Long Road.

The road is long. A torsion of relentless uncertainty.

Unpaved and rugged. I have no shoes.

Forced to traverse an unknown path, I tread.

Onward.

Mysterious and dark. Dust-covered and shrouded.

A wraithlike shadow emerges ahead. Eerie and familiar.

My tormentor. My vision. Myself. Years ago, I was solid.

Formed of grit and clay. Molded by ability.

She is a specter now. That statuesque paragon;

of health; of power; of certitude.

My memory of her is a happy one. Unfettered.

I pass through her, catching a glimpse of the swirling,

smoky remnants of who I used to be, as she dissipates

back to the sky.

Onward. Into the seemingly menacing forest.

The leaves on the trees are green, though, and

the road is long.

What lies ahead for you? Can you easily walk onward, without looking back and longing? What gives you hope?