Is life One Way or a Round Trip?

This short poem by Joanne Z. Tan, “Is life One Way or a Round Trip?” uses metaphor of creek, river, lake in Yosemite, rain, snow, lightning, thunders, clouds, and the fog in Golden Gate Bridge, symbolizing life’s journey.

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Is life One Way or a Round Trip?

A tiny creek 

In the high country of Yosemite

Born of melting snow

Filtered through the clefts of granite

Streaming down a thawing peak.

Dripping, dropping,

Dancing its way 

Giggling, laughing,

Roaring, swelling,

Dashing out of the Valley.

Does it know where it goes?

When will it end? And why?

Who owns its life?

More creeks gather,

Into the Merced River.

Onward, forward,

one way journey seaward, 

Hither and thither,

torrential, playful,

Reckless, mournful, 

Restless, peaceful.

The creek, the river, become the lake,

Waters the crops along the way,

feeds the climbers of the peak.

Matters not

If ever it reaches the sea.

Murmurs, shimmers, under the sun it simmers,

rising water, skyward ascends,

ignites lightning and thunder.

Angelic or devilish, could care less,

Rain and drizzle, descends.

Between Heaven and Earth, 

metamorphosis, transcends. 

Into the misty fog reincarnates,

the creek, the river, and the lake, 

ghosts through the Golden Gate Bridge, 

hugs the seedlings on the Marin Ridge.

The fog rolls into the hovering clouds

snow flakes swirl and flutter 

down on the peak

That birthed the tiny creek.

If that creek is life itself,

Is it one way or a round trip?

Insignificant, not self aware,

It lives, one form or another, 

knowingly or unknowingly

A part of a grand design,

Earthly and finite,

Eternal and divine. 

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About the author, Joanne Z. Tan

Joanne Z. Tan is the Founder & CEO of 10 Plus Brand, Inc., a brand strategist, thought leadership coach, and speaker. She helps executives, board members, entrepreneurs, and organizations decode their Brand DNA, build trust in the AI age, and lead with brand power, more than just a successful business. A former journalist, award-winning photographic artist, Joanne was trained in law and business, and had a liberal arts education from Brandeis University before earning a law degree. Her coaching emphasizes comprehensive strategies, business modeling, thought leadership and high authority content creation, brand building, culture, teamwork, resilience.  Joanne is also a poet, writer, and photographic artist.

© Joanne Z. Tan, 1/17/2026  All rights reserved.