In The Choosing

I ought to spend my hours fruitfully
Attending to the words I ought to hear.
And in some deeper sense, I ought to steer
By that good guidance which is offered me
From everybody's generosity
Which points me to a way, broad, paved, and clear,
Easy to tread, and lined with joy and cheer,
Which I should follow most religiously.
And yet with every step I fall away
From this soft path, and walk the harder route;
I keep self-counsel, not the common word.
I fear that path is flat because the herd
Has trampled it, and so I make my way
Myself, across the rocky field of doubt.