I can’t see it, feel it, hear it, or taste it
I don’t see the light, don’t know the reward
I only hear rumors and catch fleeting glimpses
They tell me it’s worth it and to keep going
I search through the night, wading through the muck
Struggling, wondering, falling, and stumbling forward
Feeling my way around in the darkness
I climb higher and higher out of the pit
What’s this for? Why am I here? Where do I go?
Gravity pulls me back down to the ground
I wish I could rest but a moment right here
I scarcely remember the dream or the prize
But a calm voice I can faintly make out
As the sound resonates from deep in my soul
In a crescendo with every step upward
Like an avalanche gaining momentum
I don’t know what it is, but it I desire
I know that it’s worth it because it I can feel
I come across others with the same goal
We lift, encourage, and inspire each other
We grow stronger, helping each other in need
We move faster with greater agility
We cry, we laugh, we struggle, we fight
We feel pain, and we experience defeat
We’ve been beaten down on numerous attempts
We’ve lost our way and been discouraged at times
With broken legs and sprained ankles not a few
Nothing can stop us, a greater force is with us
How much longer ‘til the end, we know not
Only that we will inevitably arrive
We round the corner and open one last door
We stop, frozen with awe, amazed at the view
As we see our greatest dreams have come true
The reward, the glory, the victory is ours
Heroes and leaders we have now become
For it was the journey that gave us the prize
The journey brought out the gods in us
Carving and sculpting us out from the marble
Our potential unleashed and fully realized
We know the joy and have tasted its sweetness
We look back to see others walking the path
It’s now our duty to be their guiding lights
So we can enjoy the reward together
The prize from the journey being who we’ve become
–Jason Westlake
January 2005
