WELCOME TO CATHOLIC HIGH SECONDARY 3 ENGLISH

Lesson 1: Poetry Appreciation

Roads in Life's Journey

Winter's Roads

by Ron Carnell

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I cannot speak for all who stem

'Long roads less traveled as their way,

Nor question choices made by them

In days long past or nights long dim

by words they spoke and did not say.

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Each road is long, though short it seems,

And credence gives each road a name

Of fantasies sun-drenched in beams

Or choices turned to darkened dreams,

To where each road wends just the same.

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From North to South, then back again,

I followed birds like all the rest

Escaping nature's snowy den

On roads I've seen and places been,

Forsaking roads that traveled West.

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This journey grows now to its end,

As road reflections lined in chrome

Give way to roads with greater bend

And empty signs that still pretend

They point the way to home sweet home.

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But all roads lead to where we go

And where we go is where we've been,

So home is just a word we know,

That space in time most apropos

For where we want to be again.

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For even home, it seems to me,

Is still a choice we all must face

From day to day and endlessly,

To choose if home is going to be

Another road - or just a place.

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I came across this poem yesterday. It's a poem about life and choices in life. It reminds one that many a time, when we travel along our planned paths in life towards our destinations, it is the places along the way that makes up the journey, not the destination itself.

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I like this thought. Afterall, our lives are made up of the little experiences, people and events that we encounter at different moments of our lives.

Sometimes, we tend to place our vision only on the destination far ahead, that we forget to look around and indulge a little in the things around us. This applies even when we just walk ahead on a road on a normal day.

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Sometimes, we should just dally a little along the way and smell the roses. Life is more than mere purpose-driven paths towards pre-defined success. The excitement of life comes from the riots, discoveries and inspirations along the way. The journey process makes us who we really are, not the destination. We determine who we will be as we make choices along the way. We must savour every moment of life, than to discover at the end that we have not lived.

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Below is the background to the poem, as given by the poet Ron himself:

The Winter of 1998 was the first time in over two decades that I found myself immobilized by heavy snow of Michigan. For three very long days. One result of that enforced isolation was a poem called Winter's Threads. Not being one to repeat past mistakes (I much prefer the excitement of making new ones), I packed my motor home the day after Christmas, 1999, with the intention of spending winter in California. I made it only as far as Louisiana, where I stopped to visit family (and instead became involved with family). Nonetheless, I stayed warm, renewed some familial bonds, and learned I'm really not very well suited to the travelling life. Eight weeks later, with warm weather breaking in Michigan, I again headed North. While on the road, with little else to occupy my mind, I penned this sequel to Winter's Threads. And like its precursor, the poem is less about Winter and more about the choices we make in life.(With apologies to Robert Frost, who also wrote of choices, in a very similar format - and did it much, much better.)

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JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT:

With reference to specific stanzas and words, explain the poem, and comment on the poet's perspective about Life. Do you agree with his views? What about your own perspectives - how do you view and approach your life? (400 words)