Losing The Ability To Be Lost

Posted on September 19, 2016 by

31 Comments

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Our roads, once trails of patted dirt

Unsure of the shape they would make

Indented upon the denseness of dust

Plains, forest, mountains, and brush

Containing rough unclear pathways

Forks of misdirection, choices full of haze

Where wisdom’s mark once picked

The path, guided by rounded stars

 

Now, we have paved our roads

Wandering upon them as they glow

Without fear of losing our way

In the gut of night and skin of day

Thick oiled-down gravel compacted

Lit by strings of light channeled

Never ending stripes of white

As if they have bone and marrow

We are filled with directions to

The solidifying shape of upcoming curves

 

Strange,

We are forever found

forever

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Category: PoetryTags: , , , , , , ,

31 Comments on “Losing The Ability To Be Lost”

  2. This brings a tear to my eye. I’m a Colorado native and I feel like the state I grew-up in is now so developed and inundated with people, there is no “getting in touch with nature” anymore.

    This is the stark reality of modernism.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. This can be taken both literally and metaphorically, the best type of writing if you ask me. Nice work!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I’m from British Columbia, and this poem speaks volumes to me. I feel the same way about the dark. True darkness is all but impossible to find. Lovely work.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Reblogged this on Janet's Writing Blog and commented:
    This blog post by Elan Mudrow made me look at something in a new way. With all the technology, we are perhaps approaching a time when it will be impossible to get lost. I say “perhaps” because my faith is not in electronics. I know too many people who have horror stories to tell after relying on GPS. I’ve been in the car with some of them when things went haywire and no amount of, “But I’ve been there before and this isn’t where it is!” could convince them that GPS was steering us in the wrong direction. At some point, one must stop and say, “This doesn’t feel right. I need to turn back.”

    This blog post prompted me to think about the joys of taking a wrong turn and then figuring out all by myself where I went wrong. Sometimes taking a wrong turn will lead you to a waterfall you didn’t know existed. Sometimes a wrong turn will give you a glimpse of wildlife. Sometimes a wrong turn will lead you to a story idea for a short story or a novel.

    I love maps and globes. I always have. Discovering that geography was something to be studied in the fourth grade opened up a whole new world (literally!) to me. Will today’s children even know what a map is? Will they be able to read it if they ever see one? If they take a wrong turn, will they be able to find their way?

    With the literal interpretation out of the way, let’s think of it in the metaphorical sense. What things in life serve as signposts for you? You weren’t born with an owner’s manual or a map to your life’s journey, but wasn’t that what made your life unique and challenging? I don’t know anyone who hasn’t taken some wrong turns in life. Sometimes it’s a good choice to “take the road less traveled.” Sometimes you find yourself going down the wrong path in life, and it’s time to stop and say, “This doesn’t feel right. I need to turn back.”

    Someday I might have a car with GPS, but you can be sure I’ll never leave home without a map. It’s wise to always have a back up plan.

    Janet

    Liked by 2 people

  14. I like this. I notice spontaneity disappearing in my life…”Let’s go to ____! Check the traffic app. Oh too congested. Another time, then.” What did we miss? We’ll never know. I wonder does all this ultra-preparedness leave us unprepared for life’s surprises?

    Liked by 1 person

  20. This is a lovely reminder of my childhood hearing my mother say ‘Road Trip!’. We had no GPS, it was the 70’s & 80’s so we only used a Rand McNally Road Atlas and a general sense of direction. When we were heading out of state the only time we would stop was for gas and sometimes ask for directions to the nearest motel because it was getting late and there were 4 of us kids ranging in age from 1 – 8, being raised by a single mom.
    I even used the same road atlas when I drove from Long Island to Texas in 1996!

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Love this and love the old map image too! Makes me think of how dependent I am on my GPS these days and how only 5 years or so ago I got by with paper maps….seems like I could barely survive that way anymore! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Fantastic blog, so I nominate you for the Leibster award! See the rules here….

    https://larinesan.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/the-leibster-award-still-under-construction/

    Rule no 4 says Prepare 11 questions for those you will nominate, so here goes!

    What is the name of your favourite perfume or cologne?
    Which sport do you do?
    Name three of your favourite books
    Are you spiritual or religious?
    Do you believe in life after death?
    Coffee or tea, CocaCola or Pepsi?
    Favourite actor/actress?
    What did you hope to grow up to be when you were five?
    Angels or Aliens?
    Athletic or Sedentary?
    Rainy or dry weather, summer or winter?

    Good Luck and keep up the good work!

    Liked by 2 people

  28. It’s an outrageous phenomenon. We exploit the unspoiled wilderness by building hotels, theme parks, restaurants… there is so little space left to be away from the madness.

    Liked by 1 person

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