Shallow Water

I will not swim
In shallow water
I will not ride
A smoother road

The downhill path
Is fine for others
Who choose to carry
A lighter load

I’m a free spirit
A loner
A solo sailor
The winding road
The open sea

A constant vision
In the distance
The lens of life
Through which I see

Please don’t cage me
Un-tie the tether
Remove the chains
And set me free

Let me wander
Through distant lands
Tell the world
To let me be

I care, I love
I search for meaning
The path of life
For which to take

Just don’t tell me
What I must do
Where I must go
For pity’s sake

I risk the depths
To swim the deep
Shallow waters
I refuse

The prize is mine
Lifted at last
I will win
I will not lose

—David Kettler
(I wrote this about my nephew Jake Nelson. A true free spirit.)