In a faraway land there is a path
Yet, this land is not so far away
Its bumps and ridges make it clear that many have traveled on it
As it progresses, its mood becomes more eerie
The beautiful green leaves change to black
All of the flowers disappear
The sky grows dark and angry
All sound fell to its death like the last leaves of autumn
Yet, this silence was deafening
A grueling journey down a seemingly endless path lies ahead
Leading to what?
Two discrete paths that both end in regret
Which one should be taken?

A man reaches this fork in the road
He is as tired as the wings of a restless bird as he walks along
The anguish he attempts to disguise in his face is easily deciphered
He is a dreamer
An optimist
He has now realized that he cannot accomplish everything
He must let something go
His family?
His future?
His hopes?
It seems that no matter what, he is the loser
He would never leave his family
Yet, what is life worth without leaving a legacy?
What is a legacy?
Drawing a blueprint of a wondrous invention that you don’t get to see
Only those in future generations can reflect on your creation
Is it worth taking the path of hard work?
He closes his eyes
He pictures what might come of either path
How will it affect others?
How would it affect him?
Finally, he opens his eyes
Glances to left
Then to the right
He reluctantly heads down the path to the right
Forever wondering what could’ve come from the other

A woman reaches the two paths
She has fallen in love with a man she met from her town
As well as her job
She looks as far down each path that she can
At the first
She can see a happily married woman
Despite her age, she looks young
She looks happy
Yet, incomplete
She slouches as if to show that she feels unaccomplished
At the second
She can see a proud businesswoman
Accepting various awards
She looks accomplished
Yet, lonely
Her eyes droop as she longs for companionship
She paces back and forth
She knows which is correct for her
However, she fears that she will regret it
Time is up
She drifts to the left path and follows it carefully
Her decision has been made

Next, a child stumbles upon these paths
Disoriented
Sorrowful
Eyes heavy with pain
Her parents have filed for divorce
She is too young to fully understand
Yet knows enough to realize that she will not see them as much
She knows that she will have to choose between them
She pictures the memories that she can remember making with each of them
All of them feature the three of them together
She does not believe that she can be happy living with just one
Sobbing, she looks at the two paths
She impulsively turns in the other direction and starts running
Wondering how far she will go
After running for a few moments
She is right back at the start of the two paths
Realizing she cannot simply run away, she closes her eyes
One last look is made at the second path as she makes her way down the first
She attempts to fake a smile but her eyes reek of sadness
She will miss her life as she knew it

A lost young man reaches the fork in the road
He is a football player from a very poor town
Very few people go to college where he comes from
He has been accepted
A full ride to a great school
But, it is across the country
His mother encourages him to make something of himself
To leave a legacy
His father has other beliefs
He thinks that his son should work in the farming industry like himself
This boy knows that he could accomplish great things
He also knows how upset his father would be if he left
Most importantly, he knows what this decision could do to his family
Another source of income could help them move away from poverty
They could have a family legacy
Football is his passion
Still, he loves his father and his family
The minutes seem to creep by as he struggles to decide
He knows what he must do
He glances down both paths
Says goodbye to one
And hello to his future

Decisions can be influenced
People can be swayed or bribed
Yet, in the end
It comes down to one person
What kind of life do they want?
What kind of love do they want?
What will this decision leave behind?
Fate must be chosen wisely