Paths

      — one more for Willie Nelson

I remember like the hovering of birds
How they settled on the water and we waded a while
But in a lake of regret there’s finally endless unrest
And those birds have all flown away

At first they would settle since they knew me
The calm of a warm summer day was our way
But seasons must change as time moves along
And by winter all the birds flew away

It’s funny in life’s single direction
How we all make different ways to a last wintertime
It happened for me that not a single one stayed
May they all have found happiness along the way
May their lives have been blessed with love and family
For me the path just wasn’t the same

Now these days I sit here knowing
As snow covers time and our lives
Soon a spring for others won’t matter for me 
And every bird I remember will be freed

It’s funny in life’s single direction
How we all make different ways to a last wintertime
It happened for me that not a single one stayed
May they all have found happiness along the way
May their lives have been blessed with love and family
For me the path just wasn’t the same
For me the path didn’t wind down that way 
The path didn’t end up that way