Forked Road

It’s hard to decide sometimes
whether to stay or go, to face
driving snow or stay by a warm fire.
But if you don’t go, the little
sharp teeth of what you ought to do
will gnaw at your comfort until
you find fault with your dinner
and don’t sleep well that night.
Even a small duty will give you
a hard time if you don’t listen.
I know a farmer who turned his horses
out to pasture before he locked
the barn doors to prove he could
make up his mind without a nudge
from an old copybook. It’s what
you learn from experience that teaches
you how to face a forked road.
I heard a forecast this morning that said,
‘‘Showers and thunderstorms, otherwise
mostly clear.’’—Hard to beat that
for coming to grips with the weather
either inside or out.