The path is narrow
treacherous, slippery.
The road is long
arduous, lonely.

The yawning abyss -
dark, menacing.
The shadowed valley -
murky, disturbing.

Eyes downcast;
heart’s discouraged.
Thoughts dismayed;
soul’s disheartened.

Suddenly, a shaft of light
breaks through the fog.

Myths and legends,
swirl in the mists.
White spires, golden halls
“and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise”*

Is it true? Can it be?
Are those tales veritable?

I see His face.
I hear His voice.
And I know
He is not false.

Hope is rekindled;
bursts into flame.
Face set as flint
Resolutely, I travel on.

Yes, the path is narrow
treacherous, slippery.
And the road is long and arduous, 
but I am no longer lonely.

Though the shadows threaten
and the valley terrifies.
There is One who travels with me.
Comfortingly, by my side.

-	R. D. P. 

*From The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

Art by Mystic M on Tumblr