Moving Forward

“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.” -Maori Proverb

Summer is here. I admit it, June is one of the hardest months of the year for me. I am fair skinned and I am not a particular fan of direct sun, especially the Florida kind, so when the heat comes, I retreat into my summer hibernation. With this retreat comes a feeling that I should be doing so much more than I am, that I am lazy and I will never accomplish my goals that I have set for myself. I forget to remind myself, that it is a perfect time to recharge, after a fitful spring. Once July rolls around, I am finally settled into my summer routine and can relax and enjoy myself. Then I remember, that June was my yearly reminder, to just have faith and remember that eventually any “storm” I find myself in, will pass. I just have to keep going and trust I will find my groove. This lesson can then be a applied to anything in my life, whether it’s writer’s block, an illness, a fight with a friend, or just general malaise about life. Thank you June, for reminding me of this every year.


MOVING FORWARD

you can feel quite blind

groping around in the dark

beginning a new adventure

not knowing how to start

your friends seem like strangers

your life feels a farce

your main emotion is fear

guidance seems sparse

step by step you travel

not knowing when it ends

unable to marvel,
at what’s around you

knowing your journey depends

on so much, out of your control

that you think you will scream

you just keep moving forward

until you reach the stream

of inspiration
that you have waited for
you walk a couple more steps

until you reach a door

you take the knob within your hand
and turn it to the right

press it slowly open

and then you feel the light

you have reached your destination

unsure how you did

realizing moving forward

is the only way to live

Author:

Maureen McDole is a poet and owner of Summerfolk Press. Her first book of poems, Exploring my Options, came out in 2006. She lives in Saint Petersburg, Fl. Her work can be found on her website: www.maureenmcdole.com