The Janus Question

By Cliff Lake

 

The Janus Question

 

We count the days

According to our own wisdom,

Marking time

To know how much we owe,

Or what is owed to us.

So, we tell ourselves

We have a chance at new beginnings,

New promises to keep,

To not keep,

To forget,

Or ignore.

Still, we can convince ourselves

To make the try,

To reach further,

To grow more,

Or to hold on to old ways

And call them tradition

To resume the rituals

That have brought us

To where we are

And name it heritage

Because habit is easier than progress.

Comfort does not encourage the wildflower;

It must endure both the rain

And the hard soil that is its home

So that it may reach for the sun.

One must burn

To fully understand the fire,

Else there is the chance the pretty light

Will consume us in our ignorance.

So, we greet the new year,

Vowing to move forward,

Or doubling down in the routine

And the growing frustration of

Nothing getting better…

When that better

Could be us.

 

Cliff Lake 1/7/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Dalton, MA, USA

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