Travelin'

I been walkin’ down this road
For eighty years or more
My shoes wore out long time ago
And boy, my feet is sore!

Just steppin’ steppin’ steppin’
For at least ten thousand miles
And it ain’t been no picnic!
Though I had my share o’ smiles.

This road I gotta travel,
Boy, I tell you somethin’ strange:
It seems you know what’s there ahead
And just like that comes change!

You’re walkin’ through some valley
Sure, it looks like Easy Street!
But boy, you pay attention,
‘Cause it sure won’t stay that sweet.

A mountain’s comin’ up ahead
And pretty soon you’ll see
You gotta climb up real, real high
Sure, this I guarantee!

Them mountains, it’s a funny thing
They take you by surprise
And when you see ‘em loomin’ there
You won’t believe your eyes!

You won’t think you can climb so far
Can’t even see the top
But, boy, you best start climbin’,
‘Cause you ain’t allowed to stop.

Won’t be easy, I tell you, boy.
Takes blood, sweat, and tears
And sometimes you are climbin’ up
For years and years and years.

You gon’ cry, I tell you that.
You’ll be exhausted, too.
It’s painful and it’s difficult
Takes strength right outta you.

But you know somethin’ that I’ve found?
Them mountains ain’t so bad
Every mountain’s got an end
And boy, that makes you glad!

‘Cause when you finally reach the top
Them climbin’ days is gone
You feel… ecstatic’s the only word!
(And you might burst into song!)

But you know, it still ain’t over
The road ain’t stoppin’ here
And if you wanna reach the end,
Boy, that’ll take you years!

So rest yourself a while
Then you keep on steppin’ on
And you know somethin that you’ll find?
That climbin’ made you strong!

But there ain’t no more climbin’
For at least a while yet
‘Cause now the road gets twisty
And it might get dark and wet

And now it gets confusin’
‘Cause it’s darker than the night
And on top o’ that you wonder
If you should turn left or right

The road splits off a lot here
And you don’t know where to go
And so you find that by this time
You’re goin’ pretty slow

But boy, you just be careful
That you know which turn to take
You might find that at this time
It’s best to just go straight

And keep your eye out, boy, I say
Keep lookin’ at your goal!
‘Cause if you don’t, I tell you this:
You gon’ fall down a hole.

Boy, you fall down one them holes
You best get yourself out!
If you can’t do it by yourself
Then fill your lungs and shout!

Call for help to anyone
Who’s passin’ by your way
If they’re on your same highway
Then they won’t just walk away.

They’ll help you out and dust you off
And shake your hand and then
You don’t know if they’ll go or stay
Until you reach the end.

And when you finally see a light
You’re outta that dark place
An’ the goin’ ain’t so difficult;
You best pick up your pace.

The hard times might be over,
But you got a ways to go
Before you reach your journey’s end
So don’t you walk too slow.

And just because it’s easy now
Don’t raise your hopes too high
You never know what’s round the bend
Them turns deceive the eye!

You’ll step on rocks as well, you know.
And thorns and prickles too.
Your feet get bruised and bloodied up,
But boy, it’s good for you.

It hurts a lot to walk this road
But there’s much more than pain!
Boy, I tell you somethin’ grand
About this long, hard lane:

Sometimes you’ll see such lovely things
Hear songs so pure and sweet
It makes you want to skip and dance
Despite your aching feet!

‘Cause boy, I tell you somethin’ now:
Ain’t nothin’ you can dream
Can be as great or beautiful
As things that you will see!

And as you walk that great long road
You’ll seldom be alone
I guarantee there’s someone
Who’ll make it feel like home.

You’ll meet some other travelers
And they’ll walk with you a ways
But most will split off pretty soon,
Though some of ‘em will stay.

Your friends may take a different road
Perhaps their thoroughfare
Is shorter than the one you’re on.
You’ll miss ‘em walkin’ there.

Can’t always have folks by your side
Enjoy it while it lasts!
Because the days you walk with ‘em
Will shoot by far too fast.

Yep. Steppin’, steppin’ steppin’.
It won’t be no piece o’ cake.
But you ain’t got a choice here, boy.
That’s the road you gotta take.

You best remember what I say
‘Cause boy, when it gets hard
You best be smart and watch your step
And boy, keep up your guard!

And don’t forget the lovely parts!
And don’t you walk too slow.
And most of all, remember
Where it is you want to go.

So boy, although it’s tough at times
You can’t see ‘round the bend,
Don’t you forget one minute
That you always got a Friend!

And He is with you always
And He’ll never leave your side
And He’ll be your strong Protector,
Your Provider and your Guide!

So boy, I’ll keep on steppin’
And you keep on steppin’ too.
I tell you what; you reach the end
And I’ll meet up with you.

~ © Andrea Grace

Smoke On The Wind

A fire once burned here; the smell is still lingering
It left naught but cinders and ashes of grey
The smoke curls up skyward and fades into nothing
Like memories I had of those long-ago days



Like smoke on the wind are the friends that I had once
Their memory is dimming, I don’t know their names
The words that they told me I barely recall now
The laughter we shared once is mostly the same


I thought it would last, though. I thought we would stay
Best buddies forever. I guess that’s not so.
Like smoke on the wind, like a ghost in the hallway
I thought it was friendship, but I didn’t know.


Like smoke on the wind, the harder you grasp it
The faster it slips through your fingers and fades
When you open your hands, there is nothing to see there
Was it even real in the very first place?


Like smoke on the wind are the friendships I had once
Or thought that I had; for perhaps they were dreams
The people existed. I know that for certain;
But if they were friends still remains to be seen


Like smoke on the wind, maybe real, maybe not
For awhile you see, but it soon disappears
A small puff of air dissolves those grey tendrils
The same way we friends couldn’t last through the years


 Perhaps it was time, or perhaps it was distance
Perhaps ‘twas the differing paths that we chose
Whatever it is, I can scarcely remember
The days we had once. Guess that’s just how it goes.


Only smoke on the wind… it looks real for a moment
But once it is gone, then you can comprehend
It never had substance or any real meaning
And maybe ‘twas good that it came to an end


Smoke on the wind, never real, never there
You think that it was, but you can’t really tell
And you watch it drift upward, are sure it’s a real thing
But maybe it just has you under its spell


Smoke on the wind, it sure muddles your head
You can’t quite think straight, cannot see through the mist
One blink and it’s gone, leaving you there, bewildered
Was it just a dream? Did it really exist?


Smoke on the wind isn’t real; you can’t feel it
Just an illusion, a beautiful sight
A memory of nothing, a moment of pleasure
But you know in the end just a passing delight


Smoke on the wind can’t torment me; it won’t.
Sometimes I admit that I want it to stay
But smoke cannot help me, won’t be what I’m needing
I guess I must just let the smoke drift away.


Just smoke on the wind, all those friendships now vanished
I thought that I knew them, but maybe I’m wrong
Smoke on the wind, only smoke in the ending
Smoke that was here but next moment was gone.


~ © Andrea Grace