If You Must Go

If you must go, go then
and never turn back.
Do not let emotions
sway you away from your chosen path.
Do not say, “I’m afraid, I’m lonely,
I’m weak, I cannot drudge this path alone.
The path is gloomy, dingy and shadowy,
and I don’t know if there’s a light at the end.”
Success never comes before failure.
Not even in the dictionary.
Life is not a bed of roses.
It’s rather a dark alley,
maybe even a dudgeon, whose gates
are guarded by fearsome dragons
that draw fire with every breath.
And you, what are you?
A simple man, a country lad perhaps.
Lean, thin and haggard, with hollow eyes,
wrinkled brows and short breaths.
You are called upon, by Fate,
to rescue the damsel – imprisoned – in distress.
She calls out, “My hero, where are you?”
And you, what do you do?
You are so courageous
that you can’t even draw a breath.
And yet, you call out, “My sweet lady,
Fear not, for I have arrived,
And no creature made by God,
Can bar me from having your love.”
You, the one who has barely seen his face in the mirror,
make such a commitment with an unabashed face.
 You do not have a sabre,
or a sword,
to fence with the dragons, and yet
you decide to go, for destiny calls on you.  

So say I, if you must go, go then
and never turn back.
For who knows,
you might as well win.
And, Success, the damsel - the blue-eyed maiden, is your prize.
And there’ll be ballads written on your quest,
and, who knows,
You might as well be the next Paris of Troy, or the next Arthur,
or Lochinvar, or the next famous Highwayman.
And your saga shall never be lost
in the sands of Time.
But, I must warn you, you might as well lose.
Ha, what do say? You won’t go?
It is too risky, so you won’t hazard?
Ah, my dear, you are wise.
And therefore, you must get your prize.
A pound of rock, granite and alabaster,
with your name engraved on it.
A certificate of merit, placed beside
thousands more – all forgotten but for a few.
 

Thus, in the end, the choice is yours to make -
for you to give your life, or for Him to take.