Fork in the Road
By AC
On the path I was given, I’ve seen many things…
Devils with no horns…
Angels without wings…
Flowers that never bloomed, to roses that grew from rocks…
Dreams locked in a room, minds glow in the dark…
As with the many courses laid, many choices were made
Some for better, some for worse, others still being played…
Now here I am, at this fork in the road
And no matter which way I go
It won’t lighten my load.
If I choose left, that could lead me to death
If I choose right, it might lead me to light
But if death is my choice, that could lead to peace…
But if light is the way, that could lead me to grief…
If I happen to decide on the least beaten path
It could ask of me a patience I’m not sure that I have
If I choose the other, that will likely unfold
Mind, body, or heart eternally cold
Familiar is the way I ‘ve watched many trek
The other way’s foreign, don’t know what to expect
And now I must decide, and I’ll live or die with it
Staring down the road with the dead end, I chose the one
Without limits.
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I love how this captures that there are no easy choices in life. Sounds like you had to learn that lesson way too young. This poem emanates a wisdom that is really powerful. I’m also struck by the “devils with no horns” “Angels without wings” and the way it conveys that nothing is as simple as it seems.
This is wonderful. Flowed nicely, clever metaphors, and really hit my emotions.
This poem is very relatable and touching. I can feel the emotion through the descriptive words. Whichever path you pick will always lead you to where you belong. A quote that I created and always look back on is something along the lines of, there is a trail made by others that is easy to take and will lead you to the light, but to create your own path takes time, and doing so will lead you on your own adventure. Emotions play a large role in the things we do, I use perseverance, organization, time management, and hard work. It’s okay to be confused and break down, there are always people that can help. You got this and remember the best is yet to come!
I am thoroughly impressed by this poem! I don’t know whether “a patience I’m not sure that I have” or “I chose the one without limits” is my favorite part. The contrasting dead end road with the unlimited opportunities makes me curious as to your final decision. I am left wondering if you chose between the paths, or created a new one?
This is beautifully written. I have had a passion for writing poetry for a majority of my teen years as a coping strategy to get my darkest, toughest thoughts out to a space that feels safe. This poem does that wonderfully. I am so grateful to have gotten to read this work from you because it has truly opened my eyes. It is not every day that somebody is able to articulate the darkest thoughts in their mind into beautiful words to touch and capture the souls of their readers, but that is exactly what you have done. If writing these poems helps you, I deeply encourage you to continue. Your words truly make a difference. I think poetry is a perfect path for you.
You used great verbal visualization of the choices. I especially liked the second and third stanza, where you depicted the uncertainty of the choices. The stanza dedicated to understanding the path that led to the different decisions and outcomes, helps strengthen gravity of the choice. The choice of words shows how much thought you have put in, in understanding that weight of each choice.
This is very deep!
This is really good! I liked how this poem has a good flow and rhythm to it. It also makes you think about how you make decisions in your life and how even if you think you are making one decision it could potentially lead to an alternate outcome.
I love how you used a fork in the road to describe the hard decision you had to make. I also loved how you acknowledged you made some choices in the past which you shouldn’t have made. Great job!
This is amazing. Truly a talented writer. The emotion behind this piece does really show and it’s a powerful feeling you get from reading this. Honestly this is my favorite piece I have seen in a long time. I do question why there are so many …’s. You don’t need them, the piece itself get the point across. Also, on tiny spacing issue with the I’ve in your5th to last line. Other than the nit-picky stuff, fantastic work.
AC,
I’ve been on that road. At least you moved forward! Some of us just sit there. like zombies, stuck in limbo forever. Good work! CJ
This is an amazingly written poem, and it really connects and hits the reader. I absolutely love the line ” Flowers that never bloomed, to roses that grew from rocks.” It shows the wide variety of what you’ve seen in your life, and I can only imagine what you’ve seen. When you started talked about your fork in the road you said, “But if death is my choice, that could lead to peace”, I thought of the world “could”. It could lead to peace, sure, but it could also leave to grief of others, and it could restrict you of amazing opportunities in your future, you can do whatever you want and become whatever you want if you put the work in and you could be happy with the person looking back at you in the mirror. You never know the future, but you can control aspects in your , the aspects that really count. I am s beyond happy that you chose “the one without limits”, because that’s exactly it, you have no limits you don’t have to limit yourself and can be that rose that grew from rocks. You are worth so much more than you think, and you are cared about. I believe in you; you can do and just keep thinking of road with no limits.
Hi AC,
This poem was a beautiful representation of the good and bad of the journey of life. I appreciate the way you were able to share your experiences and difficulties on your journey through your poem. “To flowers that never bloomed / to roses that grew from rocks” was a very creative line and really stood out to me. I also really enjoyed how the ending symbolized that the choice to embark on the right journey may be the difficult and foreign one, while the choice to embark on the wrong journey may seem the easiest. I’m happy that your poem ended with going down the road without limits instead of the dead end, even if it was the difficulty journey. Thank you for sharing!
Ainsley
Wow this poem is so deep. When you write
“But if death is my choice, that could lead to peace…
But if light is the way, that could lead me to grief…”
I felt like I needed to think about it for a second. Life has hardships, and I feel like you really capture what it’s like and how sometimes it doesn’t seem like there is a right answer to things, that it’s going to be tough. Really nice poem, that makes me think deeply. I hope you continue writing, would love to read more.
AC your poem made me really think about the times in my life where I had forks in the road. Whats amazing is all the similes you have used during this poem. What I liked about this whole poem is the line when you said Devils with no horns…, Angels without wings. What that has made me think of this so much is that no matter what happens you will always get a different ending.
Hi,
Good poem! I like how you wrote about the two possible options you have in life. The way you described it is also very interesting.
Hi AC! Where do I begin singing the praises of this lovely poem? I absolutely love the dichotomous relationships you establish between two similar yet profoundly different things; for instance, the way you describe how you’ve seen “Devils with no horns…Angels without wings” to illustrate how there are no strictly good or strictly bad people in the world, we all have a bit of angel and devil in us and we all wear it differently. My absolute favorite line was “Flowers that never bloomed, to roses that grew from rocks / Dreams locked in a room, minds glow in the dark…” as these two ideas identify different types of people just as the previous lines did. Flowers that never bloomed, like people who never reach their full potential. Roses that grew from rocks, like people who have survived hardship and come out stronger and more beautiful despite the difficult terrain. Minds glowing in the dark, how sometimes our best qualities come out in moments of darkness and despair. This poem is gorgeous and rife with stunning visual imagery. I also adore how you detail the difficulty in not knowing what path to choose in life, knowing that each path has its ups and downs, and you must choose what is true to yourself and what will lead to prosperity and freedom. Beautiful. Just beautiful. I hope to read more poems of yours down the road!! Please keep writing; you genuinely have the natural gift of a writer.
Hi AC,
I really liked the way you used this poem to describe there are always two paths to life. It makes me think about which path I would take. It also makes me think what your two paths in life are right now and which one you will be picking. I don’t think I was expecting this poem to be as deep and meaningful it was. Every analogy was perfectly exuded and used in the perfect way of describing the life paths. Really great job!
AC,
what a powerful poem! Thank you for sharing this. The metaphors you present allude to Robert Frost’s poem. I admire the contrast of paths of light that may lead to pain versus dead ends that bring the calm of death. I hope you continue to choose the light.
AC, this was powerful. When I read your poem, I started to hear it as though Nas was rapping it back in his Illmatic days. You are extremely talented. Keep writing. Hone your skills. This could take you far!
This poem is very motivational. There was a lot of great use of metaphors used throughout the poem. As well as using
This is such a powerful poem. Your words were so strong and meaningful. You also had good metaphors and it was a good flow through out the entire thing keep up the goop work and never stop writing!!
This poetry is incredibly meaningful and relatable. Due to the descriptive language, I can almost feel the feeling. My favorite line is “I chose the one without limits.” I’m wondering about your choice given the contrast between the dead end route and the limitless alternatives.
A great poem that describes the hardships you have witnessed in life. I like how you end the poem by stating that you chose the path without limits.
We should all try to live limitless lives and escape our comfort zones.
AC, your poem details the decisions that we make and the difficulty of making them. Sometimes there is no “right” decision yet your actions are important and they truly matter. Us as human beings are presented with series of obstacles that leave us in a uncomfortable void and I think that you described that agonizing feeling in such a unique way. Your word choice and attention to detail is incredible and I really do hope that you continue to write.
I love your use of metaphors in your work! This is a very interesting style of poetry that almost reminds me of Robert Frost, who is amazing. You demonstrate the two options in a captivating style! One of my favorite parts is the last line. Your poem truly made me self reflect and I am grateful I got to take a moment to reflect and read this work.
Every choice we make has consequences. The thought of the several lives we could’ve lived if we considered moving onto a different path. But we can never be for certain how things would’ve gone different if we chose a different path. This poem is thoughtful prompt to the different paths of lives would could’ve lived. An amazing and relatable piece of poetry.
Thank you for sharing your poem! It was a great poem that captures the difficulties life challenges. I like the concept of reflection in a powerful way.
This is a great poem that demonstrates the obstacles you’ve faced and the growth you’ve experienced when you overcame them.
You have a very mature style of poetry. You grasped my attention quickly and kept me engaged. The imagery you give is really really good. The story your telling is easy to identify and allows readers to experience a glimpse of what you’ve faced. I love it, keep going!
This poem is so well written! I believe imagery is such an important part of great writing, and this poem is filled with it. I love how this poem plays with our typical understanding of “good” and “bad” things, such as the devils with no horns and angels with no wings. I also love that this poem highlights that life is filled with choices. A lot of the time, we are faced with choices that we are not sure we know how to choose correctly. As someone who tends to overthink a lot, I relate to this poem because each choice that comes to me has to be carefully thought out. If I choose option A, the outcome would be positive and fast, but option B may be a little more difficult but could pay off more in the long run, so which one do I choose? These are difficulties I think everyone faces in their lives, some faced with more difficult decisions than others. Additionally, the thought of what could’ve been if you had chosen a different path in the past is something many people, including myself, struggle with. I think this poem is very relatable and definitely hits a soft spot for many of the readers.
This poem does a great job of using metaphors to invoke strong emotions in the mind of the reader. I remember reading “the road not taken” by Robert Frost and now I see the connections between the two poems. I can also say that the visual imagery evoked by this poem is something that will definitely grab the reader’s attention. The theme of the poem I’m interpreting would be choices in life are sometimes difficult. Overall, I can also say that I relate to this poem very much.
Wow, this poem really hits deep. Your talk of devils without horns and angels without wings displays the complexity of life, and the fact that nothing is as simple as it first appears. Then you get to your cross-road where you have the choice of death or the choice of life. While the path to eternal slumber is easier, it leaves one gone and without the healing. Whereas, the path of light will lead to that pain and grief you mentioned. I also like how you say that the path of life is less trodden and will take patience. But I’m glad you have chosen the path of light as the future will be well worth the beginning pain. I really connect and feel impacted by this poem, and it reminds me of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. Please keep writing as you are exceptionally talented. Wishing you all the best!
I truly appreciate the metaphors and rhymes you incorporated into this poem. With those combined with the message of this poem it felt as though I was going down a spiral which is exactly how it feels when making decisions in life. You were able to capture the emotions, wonders, and contradictions that occur in life when we are left only with our morality and experiences when making decisions.
This is very well written. Life is full of forks and choices, and I liked how you wrote about things not always being what they seem. “Devils with no horns, angels without wings”. This is a very reflective piece. Enjoyable read.
You brought the metaphor of a fork in a road to make decisions in a whole new light. You describe a really important point about making hard decisions which is that, you never know definitively where one path might take you. I feel like this idea becomes so apparent especially as you get older because you start to fear making the wrong decision more and more knowing that time won’t necessarily stop for you. Great poem!
This poem symbolizes many roadblocks and obstacles in life, and I truly relate to it. Not only is the structure of the poem beautifully written, but the meaning behind it is life changing. Thank you for this nicely written poem.
The imagery in this poem is amazing. The use of metaphors also works nicely with the imagery to exude a theme of reflection. I loved the part where you said “But if death is my choice, that could lead to peace…
But if light is the way, that could lead me to grief…” because there are no easy choices in life and sometimes fighting is hard.
Wow, the imagery in this is so poignant:
“Devils with no horns…
Angels without wings…
Flowers that never bloomed, to roses that grew from rocks…
Dreams locked in a room, minds glow in the dark”
The contradictions in those images really stand out — minds glowing in the dark, roses growing from rocks… beautifully written!