At the beginning of the wood I clung to my friend. "It is so dark," I said. "Be eyes for me, and courage. Let me lean upon you. Give me your strength." My friend gave me his hand, and wise words, And he held up a torch; But it fell a little to one side of the path, Lighting his way instead of mine. A vice in my heart said, "You must go alone." I slipped my hand from his and went on softly. He did not miss me. He followed where his light fell to one side, And our paths diverged. I strained my eyes in the dark And felt about cautiously with the stick I carried. I prodded the rough ground with it before each slow step. Even then I stumbled. A voice in my heart said, "Throw down your stick." Unaided, then, I drew my cloak about me for protection; It would ward off scratches from brambles and thorns, And bruises from the trunks of trees That I would encounter as I walked in the dark. A voice in my heart said, "You must stand up naked." When I came to a pool in the heart of the wood, I saw reflected a tender moon and a shimmering star, And a beauteous, transparent thing Aglow with inner light. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...RECOMPENSE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SENCE YOU WENT AWAY by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON TO CHARLOTTE PULTENEY [IN HER MOTHER'S ARMS] by AMBROSE PHILIPS DUNCAN WEIR by ALEXANDER ANDERSON ODE TO THE CONNECTICUT RIVER by JOSIAS LYNDON ARNOLD |