| Trail to Immortality I walked the paths of my father again. His memory tests my endurance More than the rocks beneath my feet. Tears are shed through beads of sweat, As my fingers grip the edges of the mountain. The warm embrace of the sun As it shines through the branches, Illuminates the waters; Small inviting lakes waiting For someone to come and play. These winding walkways Are the links to my past and to my future... The mountain before me; All knowing and harboring the secrets Of all that came before. New memories are born From these sacred fertile lands Daddy loved so much; Like gifts from an endless story book Written anew at bedtime… Pages of many lifetimes Traced in the dust… The soldier fresh from war Home in time to hold his son, And help his beloved wife Fight her own battle… A mission of love that is fated to succeed. The ageless man, gray with time Who inspired the young with his resolve And who taught himself To put landscape to canvas At the tender age of 80. The little girl with the fiery tongue Fearless, even in the face of snakes. Who could make the hardened veteran laugh And teach cocky young men What little girls can do. The parents of a deaf child Who gave her the precious Gift of sound. At 3 she says “baba” And makes her daddy shine with pride. The blind boy, Barely a decade old, With merely a whisper to show him direction Jumping from a cliff In the ultimate leap of faith. And the Commandant, Who gave the daughter of a dear friend The chance to embrace it all... I used to believe that success Was nothing more than the measurement Of wealth and possessions. I used to think that accomplishment Only happened at the edge of death, When we realize we haven’t done as much As we thought we should have… Inspiration comes in the chirp of a bird, The ramblings of old men, And in the laughter of children. I believe I have more to learn From the people my father loved… Success is how you spend your life, Accomplishment is the quality in which you live And the memories we share with each other Are the trails of immortality In the storybook of mankind. ….And they all lived happily ever after |
