Down in the Valley

Down in the Valley

One poet shared a thought he understood;
he said, two roads diverged in a yellow wood.
Although the essence of this thought is true
no trav’ler’s intersections are so few.
So frequent have been mine, I’d have to say,
how heavy do I journey on the way.

The worldly hope men set their hearts upon,
the petri dish where endless crossings spawn.
I must choose left or right, no time to tarry—
another souvenir for me to carry.
There’s no reserve for yet another day;
how heavy do I journey on the way.

I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
without even a pause to recapture my breath.
Alas, I travel through my choices, then
I always find another one again.
A constant dance of predator and prey,
how heavy do I journey on the way.


Allusions designated by italics in the order of appearance: Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Omar Khayyam, William Shakespeare, David, William Shakespeare.

Written for "Invalid Item" 
Kink: Allusion
Form: Stave Stanza
Genre: Travel