REDEMPTION ROAD
The path to salvation is like the equator around the world
A vast circumference that seems to almost have no ending
Not a tropic that offers a more modest distance to traverse
Even though anguish felt along the way can still be a curse
And with awareness of ocean depths, as one is descending
Relief is ever slow to show its face, like a flag tightly furled
A road to redemption can be long and challenging for all
One may meet other pilgrims and penitents along the way
But sins begin to cut the soles of bare feet, mile after mile
Yet a prospect of finding peace at last will make one smile
It takes time and determination to tread each painful day
Forgiveness is not be dispensed from some ATM on a wall
It’s not some Galician camino one might walk as a tourist
Nor any big white church and a photo to remember it by
Making such a journey is not any sort of recreational trip
With alternate darkness and light, like it’s a Moebius strip
No need for any form of incantation or lamentable sigh
Nor any joke or wry smile from some sort of humourist
For some, the path can feel like a rough and stony track
But for me, it’s a journey with no time to pause en route
This will never be resolved with a mere verbal confession
It’s the time for humility, and no instances of aggression
Perhaps in my case, there’s been too many to compute
I just hope it isn’t necessary to turn around and go back