The Two Roads

"There was a path
Deep in the woods.
Once it forked-
The bad, the good.

I chose to take
The left-hand path,
I did not know
I had no map.

Now this is the road I travel
Is dirty and battered.
It's littered with dreams
That are broken and tattered.

Paved with wrongdoings
And dotted with hearts,
That were taken from people
And just torn apart.

Pain and regret
Are common here.
wherever you turn,
They're always near.

I want to cross
To the other path,
And leave behind
This painful wrath.

I thought I was forever
doomed to walk.
And all the gates
were tightly locked.

But as I continued,
A footbridge I could see.
A Bridge of Hope
called out to me.

Slowly I crossed
to the path of good.
Finally I was on the path
Of which I thought I
should.

Now hidden deep
Within the woods.
The one that forked;
Paths bad and good.

I once was wrong,
But now I'm right.
And before me
Glows a guiding light.

Altered by
A little step.
So close to falling
In darkened depths.

But I was finally
Pulled to hope.
I found the footbridge,
And learned to cope.

My simple mistake
Following the crowd.
Ignoring the heart
That speaks so loud.

The choices you make
Can change your life.
Once will bring happiness,
The other brings strife.

Following the crowd,
Won't lead you to right.
If you follow your heart,
You'll be guided by light.

Ther was a path,
Deep in the woods.
Once it forked-
The bad, the good.
Heed my warning,
Because I know.
Follow your heart-
You know where to go."
~Whitney Welch (Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul 3)