Onward Poem by Derek Pape

Of words said and unsaid, and actions taken or not.
I know for me the path to take is the one less traveled.
That is where I will find what I know I need.
The paradox between what I know I need, and what I want.
Is always a struggle.
When the wants and needs are one, how easy it is to find the path.
I slip and slide and find my way.
Unsteady at times.
At times whole and complete.
And others fractured and lost.
The many roles I have become that define me.
Father.
Lover.
Friend.
Confidant.
At times feeling tired and alone, but persist I do.
For in the end, at the end.
To leave this world.
With a kind word.
A smile remembered.
A better place to be.
Makes it all worthwhile.