Traveler's Tension

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Traveler’s Tension

 "I know of nothing so lonely as adventure." - Ernesto "Che" Guevara 

To wander and wonder: To feel the fierce
Magnetic pull of the West and Other,
And to hear the nagging call of the Road’s
Beckoning yellow lines as they pierce
Through life’s complacencies.
                                                I’ve known
The strong allure to up and bother
The trivialities of life,
To pack a truck and drive to find
The solace of life lived on the Road;
To ignore the sickly safe advice
Of plump professionals who drone
That fulfillment means affluent lines
Of work.
              I’ve known this longing to leave.

And yet to settle: To dig one’s roots
Deep in the earth and build a home,
To marry young and father sons
And daughters that have her eyes.
                                                         To pursue
A stable career, and when I’m done,
To rock and watch a setting sun
Sink down beneath my hometown hills.
I’ve known the call to settle down,
To build a life for those who come
Behind, and tirelessly toil to fill
The stomachs of those I love –
                                           To come
To the end of the road and gaze around
To find that I have truly lived. 
                                                            

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