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[marhum]

Mapless

There is a path no more before you;
At least,
Not the one you so carefully planned.
No markers
Evenly spaced; no road signs,
Or directions clearly marked.

You find yourself,
Lost in the unfamiliar,
The unmapped route lies
Before you.
Dreams of a youthful imagination,
Lie fractured in the road behind.

But look down,
Beneath your feet.
That is a road forming beneath you,
Dirt, then gravel.
Not far ahead the path is paved.
You are standing on the road you have made.

-- Elizabeth Bishop