Footprints

The other night I had a dream
Of a walk along the beach
Away from the iron towers
Away from the city Streets

And as I walked along the shore
I paused to watch the sun
Its fingers reaching above the horizon
As a new day had just begun

I stopped to watch the wind
And I tasted the salt on my tongue
The clouds separated and began to fade
And I tell myself I'm still young

Then as the wind dried my eyes
I looked toward the earth
In the sand was a set of footprints
I could not have guessed their worth

The day was fresh and so I vowed
To follow them near or far
Whether they take me to the water's edge
Or to the farthest star

And so my journey began
A trek that would soon end
I had no fear of what lie ahead
Though I journeyed without a friend

The midday sun found me alone
On top of a mountain high
The view possessed me with an awe
Surpassed only by the footprints nearby

I thought of staying on the mountain
For here I was a king
But the footprints drew me onward
Like the waters of a spring

In just a while I found myself
In a valley below the hill
The path ahead seemed rugged and hard
And to me, it possessed no thrill

So I turned to go back the way I came
But when I looked behind
There was not a trace of my passage
Not one footprint could I find

So I pressed forward as best I could
Knowing my past was gone
The sun was sinking on the ridge
And I knew it'd set before long

I began to doubt my decision to follow
The footprints of the unknown
I knew that I could not survive the night
If forced to face it alone

So I raced for life against the sun
And tried to find the one
The one to whom the footprints belonged
Before the day was done

My mind was weak and my body tired
But the end I could not find
It was as if it didn't exist
Still I followed the footprints, blind

The sun had not completely set
When the last footprint I found
The path ceased and the trail ended
Still, no one was around

Now the sun has set below the hill
And I know that I've run out of time
Only now do I realize
That the footprints I've followed were mine