There came a time in my life
When I came upon two paths
One bright and well-travelled
One dark, overgrown, and neglected
Like a fool I chose the easy road
I found candy apples upon the trees
I ate my fill and for the miles I traveled they fed me
I was mollified
Little did I know that they were poison
And the more that I was filled the more I became empty
I lived on the sweetness
I survived
Hollow
For far too much of my journey
I thought I was fulfilled
Meanwhile the trees grinned
And I was nearly killed
Until finally in my weakened state
A voice whispered to me
Stray from the path
Find not what you want
But what you need
My footsteps were heavy
But I listened
I listened well
I walked away from the sundrenched trail
Into the shadows, into the pale
The sunlight dappled by the overgrown trees
Soothed my eyes
The soft path covered in leaves
Relieved my weary feet
And everywhere in this place unknown
The wild beauty consoled me
I felt the cool water of a feral stream
I slept in an open glen
And dreamt inconceivable dreams
The stars swirled and spoke
The sky was alive
And in that place
That was not a place
I never feared the night
The lesson I learned was simple
One many have learned before
The path that seems inviting
Has such sharp teeth
You will never feel it biting
It is sedating
And it is hungry
But the path they say is full of danger
The darkness, the unknown, and things far stranger
Is the path for people like me
For sunlit roads tend to let you forget
But among the twisted trees
The primitive things reminded me
Just who I was
And who I was always meant to be