Step by Step in the Mud

 

the climb ahead

is hard and steep

and slippery underfoot

you drag yourself

onward, upward

reaching out and grasping

through the fog

at anything that looks

like the way forward

a way forward

any way

and hoping that each one you take

is safe, stable

and won't set you back

further still

the heavy fog

hangs over you like 

an end

you cannot see

there is no road here

no signposts

not even a trail to follow

in the mud

only a cacophony

of contradiction

some people do not believe you 

are even here

or that the place exists at all

you must be imagining it

because they have never been there

you're just looking 

for an easier road, they say

you're making it up, telling stories

for attention, for sympathy or something

some people have heard of the place

an uncle's friend's sister's friend was there

where are they now? 

you wonder

did they find their way?

sorry, they've no idea

they'll ask, they say

some people claim to know the way

but they are armchair explorers 

posing as professionals

they are experts, they say

in the field 

and they will tell you what to do

but the actual terrain 

is foreign to them

or worse still, some claim to know the way

and they will sell it to you

with snake oil and lightning

and if their directions don't work

you followed them wrong, they say

because they wouldn't sell

something so dangerous

would they?

but it isn't all 

critics, condescension and capitalists

there are some people who genuinely want 

to guide you, they say

but they have only read

outdated papers and inspiring stories

and they cannot 

they dare not

imagine the reality

but there are some people

who are worth listening to

some who, though they have

never been there

have studied the area, they say

from different paths

and kept up to date 

with new discoveries

these people are worth listening to 

they can give some directions

to start with

they have heard all the stories

and they can warn you of the pitfalls

and dangers on the road

better yet, some people 

have actually been there

they say it how it is

they made this journey

and some of them even made 

note of the ups and downs

the circles, wrong turns

and paths they took

these are the people

to really listen to

though they each started

somewhere different

took alternate paths and views

and may have stopped

at various places along the way

they have been where you are now

and theirs are the maps

to follow

and if you can

when you can

keep your own records

of the ways you try

and piece together

your own guidebook

so the next person

lost in the fog

will have one more voice

of knowing and experience

and compassion

to listen to

as they navigate

this slippery slope

step by step

in the mud