I stood before the crossroads
To begin a long journey
One road led to the mountains
The other led to the sea
Which way should I go, I wondered,
To my left or to my right?
I could be at the vast ocean's edge
If I traveled through the night
Or maybe to the mountains
If my clothes could stand the chill
And if my legs could carry me
Up over the farthest hill
I sensed someone was watching
And I turned around to see
And there she was just sitting alone
Beneath the shade of a tree
A woman dressed in gossamer
Glittering, brightly glowing
Her eyes were filled with wonder
And a smile that was all knowing
Most will go to the left, she said
Through the forest by the pond
To the meadows painted with flowers
To whatever lays beyond.
But those that do, never return
We don't hear from them again
And sometimes I even wonder
What happened to those young men?
They say the music of the wind
Can steal your heart and soul
And they spend their entire lives that way
Never ever reaching their goal.
And others seek their fortune
Where the ocean meets the sky
But then they lose their way back home
And I sometimes wonder why
What lies beyond the mountains?
What draws young men to the sea?
What reason would you have to leave?
What could it possibly be?
I suddenly felt too weary
And dropped down on one knee
The sun was hot and I gladly sat
With her beneath that tree.
I felt her warmth seep in my soul
As she took my hand to see
And searched my eyes for what was there
The mountains or the sea.
I have a special gift, you see,
Of what lays ahead for you,
I can even read your fortune
For a paltry penny or two.
I dug into my pocket and
I gave her what I could find
She smiled with glee, then offered me,
A sip of her brandy wine.
You're going to find your destiny
Something wonderful today.
Though she didn't tell me what
I begged, but she wouldn't say
And when I demanded then and there
She giggled with pure delight
Can you catch a bright shooting star
By wishing with all your might?
You may as well chase the fleeting wind
Turn a mountain upside down
Or ask a raging river
To be quiet. Not make a sound
Don't you know that the longest journey
Begins with the heart and soul?
And the path you chose to start this day
Only ends when you reach your goal?
Dreams, she said, come and go
But they're all the same to me.
I've lived my life one day at a time
For whatever is meant to be.
I've seen the burning passion in
The young men eager to be
Away from here no matter to where
The mountains or the sea.
The sun sank slowly from the sky
I thanked her again for the wine
But my travels had only just begun
And the journey ahead was mine
I said a good bye, gave her a kiss
And she looked for a moment at me
Remember, she said, as I turned to leave
In your heart find your own destiny.
It's been many years since my retreat
While I've sailed the seven seas
What would I have found, I wondered?
Had I chosen to climb through the trees?
Through the mountains and the valleys
And the mists that tempted me
Would I again have faced the choice
Of the mountains or the sea?
Fred Haney