“Either you will go through this door or you will not go through.”
I pause in the doorway, consider the meaning of the words.
On the outside, it is simple, a statement so obvious it seems silly.
But there are two sides to every story, two meanings to the sentence.
Beneath the surface, it is a statement of choice, of possibility,
Of a decision that will impact me somehow.

“If you go through, there is always the risk of remembering your name.”
Another strange sentence, with a silly outward appearance.
And yet, another deep statement to think about.
I have responsibility to myself here, strange as it seems.
If I make decision A, I will have certain problems and obstacles.
I will have to navigate through the mouth of the harbor, and into the ocean.

“Things will look at you doubly and you must look back and let them happen.”
I suppose that on the outside, this only means that I can change nothing,
That whatever I do is influenced entirely by my surroundings.
But I will know the unknown through this door, see the unseen.
I will have new experiences, some good, some bad.
I will face danger and experience euphoria, and I will not know which is which.

“If you do not go through, it is possible to live worthily, to maintain your attitudes, to hold your position, to die bravely.”
This one is straightforward enough, I suppose.
If I do not go through, I will not enter the unknown world beyond.
I will be safe and comfortable, in a world I understand well.
I will not know the unknown or see the unseen, will not face danger.
I will have no bad experience and no fear or sorrow.

“But much will blind you, much will evade you, at what cost who knows?”
The most potent point for the door is the risk of losing a chance.
If I come back later, better prepared, will the door still be open?
If the door is locked, I may never see the unseen or know the unknown.
I may never experience euphoria, may never mix it with danger for a thrill.
I will be safe, but I will be ignorant and blind to the world.

“The door itself makes no promises. It is only a door.”
I cross the threshold.

This poem was inspired by “Prospective Immigrants Please Note” by Adrienne Rich.