The Middle Road: A Poem About Midlife

Before my eyes fail me
Before the laughter quiets to a pin drop
and the silence turns to a chaotic hum
The words must hit the page
as rain drops hitting a metal roof: tap tap tap…
Like an old typewriter stamping out the words
until the downpour comes
and the page is flooded.
Words spilling out like the teardrops
that used to blur the letters
while the ink was still wet.
A story must be told.
A life that could have gone two ways
as any life can.
A path that chose and led the way.
There were many crossroads
but really always only way through.
A maze of life
in which every open path leads to a turn
and then right back to the same thoroughfare.
We each find ourselves here
right at this very moment
looking back and then ahead again
wondering what would have been
where the other road may have led.
Looking back with sweet sadness
and forward to an impending end.
This is the middle road we find ourselves on
as we miss what was
and question what is to be.
Opening our eyes for the first time
with the realization that most has already been
and the road ahead
is now shorter than the one already traveled.

Originally written February 25, 2023