Untaken Road

I kept a careful measure Of where I thought I'd stand Every year became a marker Every mile a promised land I thought the road was asking For one particular view So every turn felt lesser If it wasn't leading through But maybe I was listening For footsteps not my own Mistaking one imagined life For proof that I had grown I may not reach the summit I once believed was mine That doesn't make the climbing A failure of the climb There are places I won't get to And roads I won't complete I can grieve the life I pictured And still call this life sweet I know the names I carried For things I meant to be Some still feel like old companions Some no longer sound like me I used to call it settling Whenever plans grew small Now I wonder if I'm finally Seeing what is actually here I wanted life to prove me Worth every sacrifice But life was never keeping score The way I kept it in my mind Some doors remain unopened Some dreams change when they're near And wanting something deeply Doesn't make it meant for here I may not reach the summit I once believed was mine That doesn't make the climbing A failure of the climb There are places I won't get to And roads I won't complete I can grieve the life I pictured And still call this life sweet I won't pretend I wanted Every road beneath my feet But I can stop demanding That the road make me complete