The Journey

The Journey: You make it what you want it to be.

Contents


  1. Setting the scene.
  2. ‘It doesn’t matter how you make the journey’
  3. ‘The thought before’
  4. ‘The journey began’
  5. ‘To discover ourselves’
  6. ‘i’d meet you at the stables’
  7. ‘The hills undulated for miles around’
  8. ‘The poetry began to write itself’
  9. ‘The photograph taken’
  10. ‘I breathe a sigh of relief’
  11. ‘My mind begins to break down’
  12. ‘The darkness won’t last forever’
  13. ‘I awoke to the final day’
  14. ‘Outside the door’
  15. How does it end?
  16. ‘Ending 1 - Heartbreak’
  17. ‘Ending 2 - Forever Lost’
  18. ‘Ending 3 - The Happy Ending’
  19. ‘Reflection’
  20. ‘The Poetry’


1. Setting the scene:


To find answers sometimes we have to go on a journey - whatever or however that journey may be - we have to make it to see what happens.


These poems are about someone who goes on a journey to find a loved one, walking across hills and fields to get to not only a physical place but also a mental one to be at ease with themselves, trying to understand decisions and thoughts felt throughout life.


Giving the chance for them to reminisce the good times but to put everything right in the mind so that if the journey does not go as planned, there will be hope for the future as it will be a lot clearer in the mind.


All I ask it open your mind to this journey - forget about modern life, modern communication, think of a time when walking to someone or writing to someone to give them a message was the only way.

2. ‘It doesn’t matter how you make the journey’


It doesn’t matter how you make the journey,

You just have to make it,

Looking at the door,

Seeing the view through the window,

Won’t help with your journey,


As you sit upon the cycle,

It will be your power that gets you there,


As you walk,

It will be your determination,

That decides if you make it,


As you ride the bus,

It will be your adrenaline that is out of control,

Yet you must control it to focus,


The journey started,

Is one to complete,


Time will never be on your side,

But that is no excuse to go forward,

With the journey that could define you,

Define what your life is about,


It doesn’t matter how you make the journey,

You just have to make it,

Start it, believe it,

And one day finish it,


To complete you,

The thoughts that you have,

And to complete the life that you live,


It doesn’t matter how you make the journey,

You just have to make it.

3. ‘The thought before’


I felt like I am destined to never get there,

No matter how much I look at the picture,

Plan the route to you,

As wherever you may be,

It is like I am destined never to get to you,


Each time I head out into the wild,

I imagine what I would like to see,

But never getting there to view it for real,


Is this the destined way to be,

The thought before I head out,

Deemed to be so negative,

When what awaits me,

May be what I have lived my life for,


The positive outlook is too good,

Not to be true but for me to get there,

For at this moment I wait to leave,

Looking at the route to what hopefully,

Will be to you and everything I hope for,


As I think before I leave,

I almost talk myself out of going,

Almost scared of what I will find,

Find of myself,

Find after the journey,

What I hope of this time,

Will be completed,


The thought before,

Is just like every other thought,

It needs to be lived,

To find out if there is any truth in what is thought,


The thought before,

Is a thought soon to be forgotten,

As I look to where I am to go,

Leaving with nothing but positivity.

4. ‘The journey began’


The journey started,

As I walked from the built up busy world,

Into the calmer countryside,

Passing the family home,

From where I once sat,

As a youngster not knowing,

What life laid ahead of me,

Little did I know,

That the choices I made then,

Would affect me,

For the rest of my life,

How could I,

Have ever of known that then?

As hindsight is a wonderful thing,

But it is no use now,

As the choices have been made,

Life is now living in full motion,


Like a pebble in the sea,

I did not know where I’d be,

At the end of this journey,

My journey to find myself,

I can look back and see life,

Yet this is the history I have made,

And this is the start of the journey,

As one foot is placed in front of another,

I am on my journey,

To find some answers,

To some questions I live with.

5. ‘To discover ourselves’


We go to a place,

To discover ourselves,

Either by choice,

Or events happen,

And we stumble across a place,

A place where we think,

We ponder about everything,

A place we find ourselves,

At ease, calm, even quiet,


Some days I know where this place is,

Other days it seems far away,

Distant from here on another planet,


As I walk the countryside,

I feel I find my feet in life,

Heading in the right direction,


This is my place,

Where I discover what I feel,


A place I found many years ago,

When the thought of such a place,

Did not matter,

As then I was young,

With no weight upon my shoulders,


Yet this place,

Means more to me now,

Than anywhere else has ever,


It makes sense to me,

Seeing the views,

Smelling the air,

Walking these hills,

Whereas others may not see or feel what I do,


To discover ourselves,

We all have our ways,

As time will test us,

It will teach also teach us,

Where our minds are at,

And what is important,

In this life you live.


6. ‘i’d meet you at the stables’


i passed a place with memories,

memories gone by,

remembering we met at the stables,

where we talked for hours,

come rain or shine,

i’d meet you at the stables,

to see your smile,

and the words you said,

would brighten up my day,

and stay with me for the week,

to help me get through the days,

until we met once again,

to talk for hours,

laugh for days,

and live for now,


no two conversations were the same,

each and every time we spoke,

it was new and something grew,

what grew was the understanding,

the belief you and i had with each other,

never did it feel like it would be outgrown,


the sun shone the breeze blew,

there was no other time like there was now,

at that moment it was perfection,

the time and place was a special memory,


today at this moment i stand here,

reliving the times with you and i,

this was just part of my journey,


the breeze blew hard,

reminding me i had to go forth,

as being here would not be the answer,

and maybe one day,

we’ll meet here again,

to talk about the world,

and what has changed,

or just to talk about days gone by.


7. ‘The hills undulated for miles around’


The hills undulated for miles around,

I could see in the distance that the hills never stopped,

The wind blew and it was like could smell the sea,

Brisk was the wind but it felt so good,


I was steaming ahead now,

The body and mind felt good,

I was almost running through the paths,

Up the inclines and past the views,


The sun shone and it was perfect,

I saw where I was,

And saw where I am now,

The world felt a better place,


The ground was soft,

But strong enough to hold my quick feet,

Every view I saw I captured in my heart,

Giving me a little bit more energy,

As every ounce I have will be needed,


No matter where I have been in the world,

As I look out at the undulating hills,

This I knew would be with me forever,

As this is the place I call home,

Knowing there is no other place like here,

Anywhere in the world,


My route took me to places I hadn’t been for many years,

Mentally as well as physically,

Some things beginning to make sense,

Whereas I needed to travel further,

To make sense of other things in life,


Soon the hills didn’t feel like my emotions,

Undulating from one feeling to the next,

I started to feel in control,

Ready to face whatever life had to offer,


I realised this route across the land,

Is what my mind needs to think,

And the journey I am on,

Is becoming clearer.


8. ‘The poetry began to write itself’


As I walked,

The poetry began to write itself,

The clear air cleared the mind,

Words formed sentences,

And the poetry grew from here,


As I walked,

The poetry I thought,

Revolved around you,

And the place that I was,


Comparing the beauty of you,

To the view I see in front of me,

How the smell of the air,

Is just as refreshing as being next to you,


As I walked there was no other inspiration,

Greater than you,

So many words formed so many poems,

I couldn’t remember them all,


As I walked,

I became the person who I need to be,

Putting my feelings into words,

Words to be written,

To be remembered for more than just my time,


As I walked,

I had no need to think who inspires me,

Because that person is you,

And with each step,

You inspire me more,

To be me,

To write more from the heart,


As I walked,

I also wrote to you,

Word by word,

Step by step,

Closer to you.


9. ‘The photograph taken’


The photograph has always been with me,

I carried it with me everywhere I went,

A moment of light captured,

Is something to show others,

What the eye saw that day,


From the earliest of memories,

Looking, taking photographs,

Has always made me think,

Of times gone by,

And the current views seen,

Are images to take a snapshot of now,

So we remember them in the future,


The photograph taken,

Something to record the history we live,

As I pause I look at the photograph,

Remember the time it was taken,


Some photographs outlive others,

While others are burned,

We keep the ones to remember,

Yet some we like to remember,

Just can’t be kept,

For the present day,

May not accept what was photographed then,

Even if the present was never there,


The photograph lived on,

Inspiring me to find the way I am to be,

Finding the right way to go,

To recapture the photograph,

That has always been with me.


10. ‘I breathe a sigh of relief’


The views and the land before me,

As I walked and walked,

Seem to become more and more beautiful,

With each view reminding me,

Of the beauty you have,

And the pleasure I had,

To admire you and adore you,


The blue of the sky is perfect,

Crisp and clear the day currently is,

With the view stretching for miles,

I breathe a sigh of relief,

As I feel I am who I feel I am,


Now I just need to get to you,

My sole aim of my life as I breathe,


I breathe a sigh of relief,

As I have made it this far,

I know that I am nearly there,

But it is taking it’s toll on me,


Every view I see,

Pushes me on a little bit more,

Yet I stop more and more,

Breathing heavily,

Breathing a sigh of relief,

As I can pause on my journey,

To reassure myself,

That I can do this.


11. ‘My mind begins to break down’


I reach a point upon the journey,

Where my mind begins to break down,

Piece by piece it all crumbles in front of me,


I have done all I can to get to here,

As I look up there is still so far to travel,

For I knew it would not be easy,

But this is pain on a different scale,

I have fallen to the floor in exhaustion,


All of the memories and thoughts I have,

Have inspired me to get here,

There is just nothing else that I can do,

Surely this will not be the end,

Of the journey and the mind I have?


With the mind broken down,

It is time to fit it all together again,

The energy that got me here,

May now be gone,

Yet when I piece my mind back together,

Something inside makes me get to my feet,


The deep breathing eases,

The mind focuses once more,

I am now able to continue the journey,

Running on empty and the last energy I have,


This is where I dig deeper than I ever have,

To get to this journey's end,

Not knowing if this is end,

Or just another part of this journey,

Make its all a little bit harder.

12. ‘The darkness won’t last forever’


Darkness descended as I walked,

I could not see the sun set through the thick trees,

Time had somehow escaped me,


As the world became darker for another night,

I had to stop, setting up camp and lighting a fire,

This was a time to rest,

To also reflect on what the days thought had brought to me,


The fire roared but I knew it wouldn’t be for long,

Only the trees close by were lit by the light,

And soon enough the flames died down,


Once the fire was all but a few glowing embers,

It was time to sleep, reflect some more,

Within my dreams of the place that I am heading,


Closing my eyes I exhale deeply,

Knowing it could be tomorrow,

That it be the day I see the light,

And the view I have been travelling to see,


The darkness won’t last forever,

Not much longer than the night that lay ahead.

13. ‘I awoke to the final day’


After a sleepless night,

The sun broke through the clouds,

I awoke to the final day,

The day I would get to you,

After a journey through life,

That had everything balancing upon it,


The rain overnight had cleared,

It was time to make progress to you,


Never mind the physical journey,

The mental one had been long,

It was time to face the music,

And see if you were at the journeys end,


The end in some ways,

I may never want to see,

But somehow I need to get there,

Otherwise I will never know,

And if I don’t know,

I will live a life of regret,


The last bit of this trek,

Took me down through the woods,

Past the stream where we use to kiss,

Then into field upon field,

Of bright green grass,


The house in the field,

Is where you lived,

And where I hope you will be.


14. ‘Outside the door’


Across the field I walked,

The house you resided in,

Memorable for so many reasons,


The skylight we stared out from,

For miles around,

Was plain to see,


From that skylight,

We could see the hills,

And further beyond,


Those hills I walked to get to you,

Knowing that from that window,

You’d be able to see me,

If you were to look out after me,


The high bushes that surrounded your house,

I always saw as a barrier,

But once I was in,

I felt guarded by them with you next to me,


Here I had travelled so far to get to you,

Thinking every moment of the journey,

To what would happen from here,

This part I had not so much planned,

But dreamt with many endings,


The house stood in my view,

Surrounded by green fields,

To which I could walk through,

And keep going,

Yet that was not my journey,


The house in the field,

Was a sight to see,

And one I would keep with me,

As I thought I’d never see it again,


I was far from standing outside your door,

But this is a place where took a moment,

To reflect on what the journey had taught me,

My strengths, my dreams, my desires.


15. How does it end?


From here there be three choices,

as every journey does not end well.


The choice is yours,

depending on how the journey you felt has ended.


‘Ending 1 - Heartbreak’

‘Ending 2 - Forever Lost’

‘Ending 3 - The Happy Ending’


16. ‘Ending 1 - Heartbreak’


I finally walked to where I be,

Only to find that you weren’t there,

You and your life had moved on,


It was an empty place,

A place that you once were,

My heart bled uncontrollably,


From this journey,

I had travelled far,

Only to find nothing,

After hoping,

For everything,


I stood in silence,

Confused, exhausted, lost,


A tear fell from the eye,

Knowing this would be the end,


As I reached the finish point,

The door closed on the journey,

And it is to remain shut forever,


Yet at least I tried,

I really did try,

Maybe try too hard,

For far too long,


And that is what I will look back upon,

As if I did not try,

I would not know how it was to end,


I crumbled to the floor,

Not knowing,

When I would get back up,


The journey was over,

Over,

Forever.


17. ‘Ending 2 - Forever Lost’


As I stepped closer to the house,

It looked worn and barren,

Then with devastation,

I found out that no one resided here no more,


From that moment on,

I realised I don’t know where I am going,

Or even if I am heading in the right direction,


I was lost,

Lost beyond any sort of help,


There were signs that you were here,

But no help to show me how to get to you,


I thought I saw you in the distance,

I actually know that I saw you,


However I felt forever lost,

There is no other way,

To describe how I feel,


I looked at where I came from,

Where I was,

And no indication of where to go,


I am forever lost,

Clinging onto memories,

Unaware of where I am,

Looking around,

Unable to find my bearings,


I was sure you’d be here,

Or was this journey never meant to be,


Questions I thought were answered,

Now left unanswered for the remainder of time.


18. ‘Ending 3 - The Happy Ending’


You stood there,

As you saw me walk across the field,

Not knowing what I had been through,

To get to you,

However it just didn’t matter,

I had made it,

And you stood where I thought you’d be,


I had practised this moment,

A thousand times or more,

Now here it was for real,

I had reached you,

Seeing your eyes once again,

Melting my heart with every feeling,


You smiled and held out your hands,

With no energy left,

I ran,

I ran to you as quick as I could,

And it hurt, it really hurt,

But I did not care,

Love pulled me through the pain,


To hold you in my arms,

Was the moment when everything else,

Just did not matter,


I had travelled far,

Not just physically,

But also mentally,


So much time had passed,

I never really knew,

What this moment would feel like,


And at the end of it all,

This was perfection,

Everything was perfect,


A journey travelled,

Though a lifetime,

Finally fulfilled.


19. ‘Reflection’


I reflected on what I had just done,

Like looking over my shoulder,

I had travelled a very long journey,

Never ever really knowing,

Where I was going,

But always knowing where I wanted to be,


I feel now like this journey in life,

Has come to an end,

Yet will always be looked upon,

As the right journey to make,

Never mind what the outcomes was,


A moments silence will always fall upon me,

Those times I will remember where I have been,

And why I had to go there in the first place,


Sadness should never fill my heart again,

Just because the journey doesn’t always work out how I expected it to be,

Or even how I wanted it to be,


The journey was made to see if it fill the gaps,

Answer the questions that we all have in life,


Now it is time to rest,

Explore what the new day brings,

And from here a new journey may begin,

With the added knowledge of journeys gone by,

That there will be hills, rain and challenges ahead.


20. ‘The Poetry’


The poetry now,

From the journey I have been on,

Is all I can write,

As the journey is done,

And the path has been walked,


With you by my side,

In love or as a friend,

Even a passer by,

If I failed to have captured your attention,

For one last time,


The poetry is written,

To help the heart heal or rejoice,

Recover from a journey,

That has taken all my life,


So personal are the words,

Not all can understand,

To where I come from,

With my words I have,


The poetry now,

Is all I have left,

To take you out of my mind,

And into my life,


What I write is real,

Even if the world doesn’t see it,

And I write each time,

With reference to my journey,

To help others,

On their journeys,

Wherever they may be heading