A Single Spoon

My path laid hidden before me, 

too tangled by thorned vines 

to spark within me a desire to discover

what waited beyond the masked trail. 

Instead, I paced outside the entrance of my beckoning path 

as I watched seemingly perfect people pass 

on their own journeys. 

My heart silently wanting to be them, 

to have a goal that drove me, 

all the while I ignored the screams 

of the towering giants of green, who lined my path, 

as the community of vines slowly tightened

its grip around their wooden necks.

 

However, on an extremely hot summer day,

I proceeded on my forced march 

to obtain enough hours of service 

for the upcoming year. As the sun extended 

her blistering fingers towards my neck, 

unchallenged by the lack of AC, 

I assisted the less fortunate

 in choosing furniture to decorate their homes. 

There was a moment during that scorching day 

when a woman became overjoyed 

merely by the idea of finally owning 

more than a single spoon. 

“Now my family can eat together!” 

she exclaimed with tears sparking

in the corners of her eyes like stars. 

 

Her smile stirred a drive within me 

that had rested dormant. Her diamond tears supplied 

me with the sheers needed to cut

through the endless vines,

the trees finally gasping for air.   

That moment awoke the desire to continue

on my path but I now know 

the destination of my wooded journey:

to help others. 

 

College, the stepping stone to my future, 

will be the next turn along my path 

towards my future, guiding me to a career

that helps others avoid deadly choices. 

The ability to prevent the dangerous plague of narcotics 

from poisoning the future generations 

fills me with a burning desire 

as hot as the sun on that fateful volunteer day.

This poem is about: 
Me

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