Perilous Pathway [an Analogy] …. [serious; For A Friend; Personal; Relationships]

Ah! the joys of tramping along a country pathway on a sunny day.
It’s Autumn and Indian Summer warms you….. all along the way.
Here and there you spot a bird, though they’re not singing as in the
Spring.
The tree leaves have not quite started to fade. Joy to your heart, Nature does bring.

A harmless snake slithers into the grass…. as you pass it by.
You see a few fluttering insects, and once or twice a pesky fly.
But overall you’re feeling safe, despite an ever-present danger;
you really should have read the notice of Poison Plants, posted by a Ranger.

They will not kill you, but they can often bring misery to your life,
if you don’t learn to heed the danger…… and recognize their leaves-of-strife.
Three leaflets, joined, a shiny compound leaf, with leaf edges often notched.
The oil they give off, if you’re sensitive to it, can leave your skin blistered and blotched.

Scratching the affected parts of your body may bring some fleeting bit of relief,
but only causes more damage, in the long run, just bringing YOU more grief.

Now for the analogy I’ve promised you, the Reader, in the poem’s title.
I’ve led you to it skillfully, as a cowboy steers his horse…… using bit and bridle.

I’ve used a “country pathway” as an analogy for a cherished love affair.
Both can bring to you much pleasure, but of the danger you should beware.
Sometimes the dangers are hard to spot; sometimes they should be all too clear.
But once you’ve suffered more than once, it probably is time to change your gear.
To “change gears”, to me, means to change your ways, hopefully for the better,
something like retreating from the rain, before you get…… even WETTER.
Because getting wetter, like poison plants, can lead to a Terrible State.

Avoiding that “country pathway” [though at times beautiful] may be the way to go.
Likewise there may come a time to leave a relationship; hopefully you’ll know.
And after suffering heartache, which always causes your Spirit to burn,
you’ll cast off the person who always brings you down, and in another direction turn.

As there ARE pathways in Nature free of ever-present danger,
there also is someone better-suited to YOUR life. Heed the words of this Ranger.

(December 3,2013)