Walk the beaten path and you will get where they want you to go.
They will cut down the trees to make the way straight for you
Kill all the beasts in the jungle so you will not fear to walk through
Pour cement so that you do not stumble
Put road signs and guard rails so you do not lose your way.
They will build oases with chain restaurants so you never leave the highway.
They will loan you money for you to buy a car
To drive on their wonderful roads
Where the trees used to be
Where the animals used to roam
Where the factory farms are now seen
Along the side of the highway.
And then they will build tollbooths
For you to pay for the roads they built
That take you where they want you to go.
The road to work will be well maintained.
The roads to Walmart and from Amazon will be paid for.
The road where the water park is,
Where the lake used to be,
Will be flooded with cars.
But no U-turns will be permitted,
No loitering along the way.
No walking, no public transportation
Just millions of people alone in their cars.
The unbeaten paths still exist
Though the streetlights and the car horns encroach
The unbeaten people still walk them
Treading lightly, so as not to intrude.
They reject the noise
The pollution
The destruction
They reject the fast food
And the energy drinks
And the billboards
But more than anything they reject the destination.
There must be some other way, they say.
There must be some other way.
