Kathy and I head to Phoenix tomorrow. The contrast in weather is sharp. It is -6⁰ C with lots of snow here and +28⁰ C in Phoenix, but apparently they are ‘suffering’ through a heat wave. I considered a poem about a phoenix rising from ashes, but opted for one that percolated for a while.

I began to think about this topic as we wrote life metaphors. There is no shortage of ways of seeing life, but a constant theme, for me, is a journey. I voyage into the unknown, but I still see what slowly disappears around river bends or as the river drops. There is no preset map, but it is the letting go of certainty that I welcome.

A journey from headwaters

Self-discovery;

Always seek the hidden

Evident truths.

Turbulent rapids

Still waters;

A visible contrast

An invisible path.

Fight the currents

Chaos gives way;

Languish in mysterious pools–

Life`s depth revealed.

New, unknown shorelines–

Welcome them;

Familiar sights fade, yet remain;

Both are navigational instruments.

Safe passage

Without false certainty;

Sets life`s course–

The course of a life well-lived.