The Cool Of The Shade Tree Poem by Sally Campbell

How long is this road I am traveling?
Is there an end?
I cannot see the end
But I know there must be an end
That waits for me
Sometimes I think I see the end
And sometimes I wish to see the end
Sometimes this road is okay
But sometimes it hurts to walk it
Like when I was a little child
Walking barefoot in the summertime
And the road was so hot
And burned my feet so badly
And I would run as fast as I could from one shade tree
To the next
And the cool ground beneath would ease my pain
Sometimes I think I would like to come to the end of the road
And maybe there fine the biggest shade tree ever to protect me
And make me feel good as a child protected
But some days I think that maybe I would like to return
To the very beginning of this road
And start my journey over
And this time
I will wear new shoes and walk very slowly
And I will see everything and touch everything
And though I wear new shoes
I will rest beneath each shade tree along the way
Until I find the end of this road.