Require that actual living be done
Before they are learned
They cannot be learned in advance
Or by proxy
For the journey requires that we tread
The path ourselves
Barefoot
In direct contact with things that can
Delight us
Hurt us
Shock us
Grip us by the throat
For no one can walk our road
On our behalf
Or have their experience be a substitute for ours
The nature of life demands that it be lived
For what it is
The bitter mixed in with the sweet
The public life we share with others
And the private affairs few will ever know
We may walk with others
Yet our trajectory remain ours
Alone.
