We Can Never Truly Begin

Things I am told so I can Follow The Tao

I am told                                

do not be blown over

by the ever flowing wind of life

do not be drowned

by the persistent roaring rapids

of the river of life

that if branches on the tree of life

must be broken

so i can continue to treasure

my sense of self

then so be it

that peer pressure is toxic  

but the only thing that it will

kill will be my good judgement

to question if what is earned together

is truly earned at all

I am told

to walk only upon the

path that is marked for me

if there are boulders among the path

climb over it

if it begins to downpour

embrace it

soak it in

do not take shelter to avoid the rain

and if then my path becomes too muddy

i shall sludge through

that no matter the journey you take

there will be a boulder, a storm, and

a cabin at the end

do not try to hide from the inevitable

value the view from the boulder

imbibe the drops of precious water

and marvel

at the worms crawling out of the grime

In the end these contradict each other

much like

how there is a rainbow at the end of a storm

or

how the forest must burn down before it can begin again

or

how a bone is stronger after it has been broken

life is simply a series of contradiction

a system that keeps us in harmony

with ourselves, with the world around us

without contradictions
we would never truly end