The kind of love that I believed in
has all bled out of me
a conviction that once gave me courage
crumbled and got carried off in the wind
What is left when the reward
you ounce sought in everything
can never be made real?
agony of unmet expectations
The hollow space that remains
behind disillusioned high hopes
no one told me growing up
was a lesson in losing everything
The kind of love that I believed in
was the last innocence to leave me
I never chose to keep moving forward
but momentum is a merciless force
There is a sense of safety in youth
the assurance that we still have time
a comforting concept that assuages
all fear in the slow crawl forward
As the years pile up, we watch
that comfortable cushion evaporate
and wonder if we've been wasteful
with our share of great potential
Our failures sting more sharply
and stagnation stifles minds
once lauded as brilliant and unique
grasping backwards for lost luster
The first half of life is spent in ascent
I was not prepared for the plateau
peering ahead with hesitant eyes
anxious anticipation for the inevitable fall
Without regular praise from superiors
small stores of artificial self-esteem
shrivel in the severity of the sun
it's time to learn to water ourselves
There is no time limit on success
nothing is wasted in our thwarted attempts
this season of life is not yet over
seeds can still be sown
Protect the Innocent 