Epiphanies

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, an epiphany is a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you.

At eleven

When you took the back way home from school

Through the snow and ice

To avoid the pursuing bullies.

You got wet and cold, but you saw that your tough sledding had outsmarted them

And you became cunning in finding other ways,

For you knew their insect intellect

And saw that it took their four to drum up courage

To hurt your puny body.

At sixteen

When you took a stand, for something that seems silly now

Only a movie (with the most beautiful girl you had ever seen).

Many miles away it was, in the dead of winter,

But you insisted that your parents let you go.  Three buses by yourself.

When you returned, it was not the movie you remembered,

But the newfound independence.

You knew now what hard work and a little daring would bring you.

At twenty one

Your first car that was not borrowed or shared:

A beat up MG midget with a soft top,

Not much bigger than a go kart with a body on it.

Speeding down a winding road in the late fall,

Your bomber jacket on, and your shoulder length hair whipped by the wind.

Pelting leaves hitting your face.

The most atmospheric and exhilarated you have ever felt in your life.

 

photo credit https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/who-is-god/knowing-god/