The Walk Of Life Poem by Katy Fulker

A monkey, young and full of questions,
And unsure of what to do,
Felt the need to leave his home
And set off for pastures new.

He'd been confused all his life
About in what he should believe -
The best way he should live his life
And how the World should be perceived.

He set off that day, early May,
Not knowing where he was head,
With only a feeling of being alive
And a sense of being led.

He travelled over hills and vales,
So many questions on his mind,
Pushed forward on his new found quest -
So many answers still to find.

It was not long after, maybe half a day,
He came across a man,
Deep in thought and reading aloud
From a book called ' The Quoran'.

The old man sensed the monkey's quest
And offered some advice:
All he need do is to Allah be true
And he would conquer all in life.

The little monkey felt confused,
And thought it not quite right
To hand over his soul to a stranger,
Without just a little more insight.

And so the monkey journeyed on,
Through glens and valleys green,
Reflecting on his encounter
And what it all could mean.

As the sun began to set ahead,
The monkey came upon a wood,
And noticed amongst the leafy green
That a sombre figure stood.

The figure was a man in black,
With ringlets on his head,
He introduced himself as 'Rabbi',
And from a book he also read.

'My friend this is called the Torah -
A gift for a special kind,
If you follow its commandments,
A place in Heaven you will find.

But transgress its rules and teachings,
Then punished you will be,
So say our Creator alone is God,
And a new life you will see'.

The monkey's mind was wrapped in doubt,
Of both the men he'd met,
He felt unsure of all their words,
And the lives and rules they kept.

'They tell me very similar things',
The little monkey thought,
'They promise that I'll be happy,
Yet with so much fear I'm fraught'.

The monkey felt he must go on,
'Then things might become more clear,
I want to live a life that's free,
Not one that's based on fear'.

The wood was thick and dimly lit,
The sun was almost down,
He searched for shelter through the trees,
But there was something else he found.

The monkey saw between two bushes,
A lady knelt in prayer,
She turned around without a sound,
Yet a half-expectant stare.

'Good evening', were the lady's words,
'I was anticipating you,
I sense you could do with a little help
And guidance on what to do'.

'Thank you', the moneky did reply,
'Actually I've been doing quite okay,
I'm not really sure where I'm going,
But I've learnt lots on the way'.

'Well maybe I can suggest some things,
To help you on your quest,
You see I am a Christian
And I know which way is best....'

As monkey listened to her speak,
He felt he'd heard it all before -
Follow the rules and to God be true
And you'll end up at Heaven's door.

Monkey sat on a hill and looked above,
The sky was black as black can be,
Yet through the expanse, a tiny star
Was all his eyes could see.

It called to him so strongly,
That he felt it was his own,
He decided to name it 'Destiny',
And it would be his and his alone.

Destiny offered no wise words,
No talk of Heaven and Hell,
The rules he'd live would be his own,
And his story - his to tell.

Monkey knew that he need never fear,
Though the path ahead was long,
His soul was free, things meant to be,
His belief in himself was strong.

Every moment brought something unique,
New experiences at every turn,
Whether things were great or really hard,
There was always something he could learn.

As the sun began to rise that day,
Monkey stayed sitting on his mount,
He was in no hurry to rush to the end,
It was here and now that made things count.