The Path – Ligo Haibun Challenge

AnElephantCant tell which path to take
He sometimes lacks common sense
So with scarcely a sigh
He takes the one less travelled by
And that makes all the difference

The Haibun Ligo Challenge is a weekly event hosted by the elegant Nightlake and the photographer Pirate.
Visit them for all the guidelines and background.
And humble apologies to perfect Penny for omitting her last week.
This week, sadly, she really is gone!
Bye, sweetheart!
Apologies also to Robert Frost for tweaking his magical poem.

This week AnElephant chooses as his prompt the image shown below.

Copyright: Pirate

Copyright: Pirate

The Path

He thinks the path looks broad and reliable.
It has a stout fence which gives the illusion of safety, although the sheer drop of the cliff should act as a warning.
He is sufficiently unconcerned that he misses the danger signs until the ground disappears beneath his feet.
After he scrambles back to the relative security of solid rock, he contemplates his escape, and his life.
Paths, like people, can be deceptive.
Some are obviously and immediately treacherous.
Some are flat and, to a great extent, devoid of interesting features.
And some lead to temptation.
Temptation, in turn, all too frequently leads to danger and, occasionally, disaster.
This is, perhaps, the story of his life.
He walks this path too often.

a path leads
the unwary
to a different place

Unknown's avatar

About ceayr

A Scot who has discovered peace in a small town he calls Medville on the Côte Vermeille, C.E. Ayr has spent a large part of his life in the West of Scotland and a large part elsewhere. His first job was selling programmes at his local football club and he has since tried 73 other career paths, the longest being in IT, with varying degrees of success. He is somewhat nomadic, fairly irresponsible and, according to his darling daughter, a bit random. So, nobody’s perfect.
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11 Responses to The Path – Ligo Haibun Challenge

  1. Sarah Ann's avatar Sarah Ann says:

    Great take on the prompt. Love the comparison between paths and people. Very telling haiku.

  2. I enjoyed the transition from path to people. Interesting and enjoyable.

  3. Sun's avatar Sun says:

    no rude thoughts here
    just want to say
    your haibun path
    quite excellent – enjoyed the journey.
    thanks. 🙂

  4. Brenda's avatar Brenda says:

    Wonderfully wise and thoughtful.

  5. emmylgant's avatar emmylgant says:

    C’est dur de voir où on met les pieds quand on regarde ses rȇves… Et puis le coeur veut ce qu’il veut et c’est toujours lui qui nous mène entre le délire, le délice et le désastre. Certaines erreurs cependant se répètent volontiers parce qu’elles donnent trop de plaisir. 🙂

  6. You sound as if you have written from experience here, Elephant! Sad, but true. But sometimes, not sad at all! A lovely, complete piece.

  7. Ye Pirate's avatar Ye Pirate says:

    ‘Paths, like people, can be deceptive.’ a great line hidden in there, and explained very nicely. A very nice haibun, showeing your mastery of language and thought.

  8. nightlake's avatar nightlake says:

    Tempation could also lead to excitement and a new life:) or perhaps not? Found the narrative most enjoyable

  9. julespaige's avatar julespaige says:

    The less traveled path leads to greener pastures…sometimes. That we can make choices about where our feet go… that is perhaps a great treasure.

    Thanks for visiting. I’m attempting some catching up. but I am still way behind. 😉
    Be safe where ever you travel!

  10. This wisdom seemed to trip from your tongue (pen) so easily.

  11. GFixated's avatar GFixated says:

    Nice and true “paths, like people are deceptive”

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