I met Life on a weary road,
Where twilight murmured in hush-toned gold.
A crossroads stood, unmarked, untamed,
And Life appeared - unshackled, unnamed.
I asked, in tones both sharp and frayed,
"Why must you twist? Why must you fade?
Why must your path be rough, unkind,
A riddle wrapped in weary mind?"
Life chuckled soft, with eyes aglow,
A knowing smile - half joy, half woe.
"Dear traveller, why ask me so?
Have you not danced in rivers' flow?
When I am soft, you dream of fire.
When I am light, you reach for higher.
You seek the storm, the grand, the bold,
Yet mourn the warmth when night turns cold.
Would you love dawn if night were gone?
Would you chase stars if none had shone?
You sigh at weight and long for ease,
Yet scorn the calm as dull reprise.
Oh, curious souls - forever torn,
Cursing peace, yet craving thorns.
If I were simple, light as air,
Would you still look? Would you still care?"
And Life turned swift, a wisp, a song,
A breath of dusk, then moved along.
And as I stood upon that road,
I understood the weight it showed.
For what is joy, if never fought?
What is wisdom, freely bought?
Life smiled and left - no grand embrace,
Just a whispered truth, and time's own grace.