Where are the step-by-step instructions

to guide this journey? I try to move,

one foot in front of the other, struggling

to make sense of these outdated maps

with trails and highways that no longer

lead anywhere worth going. Frustration

and panic send scalding tears while

I stand, stuck, desperate to find directions

for moving forward, blind to the beauty

surrounding this path, forgetting to enjoy

each moment in this space, losing sight

of the true meaning of adventure.

 

I must release the maps from my hands,

sending them away with the wind, must

stand quietly and begin to hear the hymn

of instinct reminding me I don’t need to know

where to place my feet on which fork in the trail,

but do need to trust my ability to navigate

using the sun, the stars, and that wise voice

telling me to simply be who I am.

I search under and through the clutter

of expectation to find the map I know will

lead me to the lost city of security

on the trail that allows me to avoid

that messy forest of the unknown.

I can greet anger, own it, feel it

without running to hide behind “It’s okay”,

without angling the mirror inward.

 

I can use its coiled momentum to hurl

myself toward creation, destruction,

dissolution, resolution.

 

I can contain its flame until I’m ready

to detonate my voice, my hands

into explosions of truth and justice.