The Seminal Decision Poem by L MILTON HANKINS

A young man stood at the edge of a life-changing decision,
Knowing not which direction was the better one for him.
Not gifted with any helpful, foreshadowing prescience
He recalled his mother's words, "Always do what is right, "
But, he thought, one does not always see a clear path,
And how does one evaluate beforehand the aftermath
Of unforeseen circumstances, of inevitable looming change?
He wondered if he might return after many years; then,
Regret that he had not chosen another course in life.
Some choices offer themselves once, it seems, then vanish
Into yesterday's murky, hidden, lost forever, passages
Where what might have been is no longer a possibility.

A young man stood at the edge of a life-changing decision.
Thoughtfully, he opened his scant storehouse of knowledge.
He made the choice he thought, in the now, for the best,
Set his path resolutely forward and later had few regrets
Looked back upon that day with all its hopes and dreams
The day he set a course for future success and satisfaction.