How many times you almost lost
your way,
About to leave the maze in pure frustration,
Indignant at extrinsic motivation,
Learning not enough to want to stay . . .
The rat must sometimes hate the proffered cheese,
Open to the eye but not the tongue,
The prize that makes him learn which colored rung
Has the power his torturers to please.
Even so, so much that you have learned
(Granted not the whole, but some good part)
Resonates within the mind and heart,
A legacy that now you've fully earned.
Drab though some of life may yet still prove,
Unbind those restive dreams that you employ!
All roads, no matter whither, lead to joy,
Though none will take you there unless you love.
Each maze becomes a garden when you love.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.