Choices

~ paeansunplugged

When we held hands
we believed our destinies were entwined
our paths were the same, so was our destination
our eyes set on our goals.

The dreamer that I am
was entranced by those I met on the way
I wanted to play with the butterflies
and sleep with the fireflies
run on the dew drenched green grass
and dance with the wildflowers
ready to lie low and not rush past time;
the journey and my follies were my guru.

The go-getter you are,
you remained single-minded and focussed;
not given to dawdling
ready to postpone joy
in favour of ambition
oozing confidence, you moved ahead
I fell back; our hands no longer entwined
our paths became different.

Today you stand precariously on the twin peaks
of success and loneliness
surveying all below with suspicion and unease
there is no room for happiness there
and contentment is the price you paid for the top spot.

We have the freedom to choose our destiny
but our choices define us;
my journey, as important as the destination
your destination more important than the journey
two destinies entwined
two hearts estranged.

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/01/17/what-do-you-see-117-january-17-2022/

Sharing at dVerse OLN.

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91 thoughts on “Choices”

  3. This is a profound message Punam. In life the choices make us who we become. The journey is as important if not more than the ultimate destination. Thanks for joining in with this beautiful poem my friend.

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  4. Twin peaks of success and loneliness – 🙂

    Reminds me also about something someone said to me about when 2 people decide to walk together, and want to walk together at any costs, it is the faster one that has to slow down – because the slower one cannot walk fast!

    But sometimes, we also do not WANT to walk fast – 2 hearts estranged

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  8. the journey and my follies were my guru…..Today you stand precariously on the twin peaks
    of success and loneliness…..two destinies entwined two hearts estranged……how can I ever forget those lines! Your poem just grows and grows, through poems like this I love poetry…thanks so much..

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Ain, always touched by your encouraging words. As an erstwhile teacher, I know full well the power of encouragement and as far as writing poetry is concerned, I will forever remain a learner. Thank you. 🙏🏼

      Liked by 2 people

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  13. This is like a knife! The observation so sharp it cuts. That their paths diverged and that their choices changed not only their own life but the life of another… I mourn for what might have been.

    Liked by 3 people

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  18. You perfectly described the 2 trajectories – one of pursuit and success, and the other of contentment and joy. I have felt pushed around by the former, going through doubt at times, but when it came down to choices I coudn’t deny the latter – the journey is so very rich and wonderful. I love how you weave these realities of life in to your beautiful poetry.

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    1. I think we have all experienced the push and pull of both. Sometimes it strains relationships. Pragalbha, thanks so much for sharing your struggle with it and for your kind words. ❤️🙏🏼

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  19. Been there; done that.
    I don’t say that to diminish your work, but to let you know that, speaking as someone who HAS been there, done that (and survived), I can say that (IMHO) this poem captures that situation perfectly. Thanks.

    Liked by 3 people

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  24. This is absolutely Amazing!! I loved it, loved it! Such a great capture of two that were united drifting and moving apart after having been bonded! Bellissimo, My Dear! Very moving and filled with seeds of inspiration!!
    Chuck 😊🎁✨💕🌹

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  25. I really love ‘my follies were my gurus..” that is classic, and very personally relatable. Very often two meet and their ways run together for a time in serendipity but when time drops the masks, their real selves are shown. Loved the second stanza especially.

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  27. With that willingness to forge ahead and leave the other behind, I wonder if that unease and lack of happiness is over the loss of the other or simply for the loneliness. They are, in fact, two different things. It may even be that, along the way, others also were left behind. Living with regret is a high price to pay for success.

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    1. Success does indeed extract its pound of flesh. It can be in the guise of loneliness, regrets, broken relationships. Not all successes, of course! But success at the cost of something, does leave one lonely.

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  29. This is a gorgeous poem, Punam. I love the wisdom in it, and lines like this: “Today you stand precariously on the twin peaks
    of success and loneliness” – and the whole of the 4th stanza. The whole poem, in fact! ❤

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  32. Brilliantly observed and beautifully written; a triumph of a response, Punam 🙂
    Some of my favourite lines:
    ‘I wanted to play with the butterflies
    and sleep with the fireflies
    run on the dew drenched green grass’
    So important (in my view).

    Liked by 3 people

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  33. Very late to the reading of the final OLN posts. Apologies.
    This is a wonderful write and carries such truth with it!
    I particularly LOVED the second stanza and I guess, then when I read the following stanzas, it shows the side I fall on 🙂 I too love the journey.

    Liked by 2 people

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  34. This is an amazing and insightful poem. So well written! This really sums up the result of singular focus…
    Today you stand precariously on the twin peaks
    of success and loneliness
    surveying all below with suspicion and unease
    there is no room for happiness there
    and contentment is the price you paid for the top spot.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  36. Pingback: Choices | THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON...

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