As a child

As a child

You saw a wall

As something to climb,

Used school books,

Stood on tip toe

To see what lay beyond,

What was hidden,

And now,

Balancing precariously

On the edge of heaven,

Teetering on the brink

Of magic,

One step from a fall,

Still you climb.

What is it to stop?

To have had enough

Of the challenge,

The obstructions

And distractions

That continue to pile up,

No matter what.

We were told to read,

To learn,

It will pave our way

To success in this world,

If knowledge is power

Curiosity is the fuel

And is all we need to climb

From the shadows,

To haul ourselves out

Of the gutter.

Life is sold

As a well full of wishes,

Bathe in its bounty.

Feed yourself

With its rich reward,

Its golden harvest.

Farm oysters

Have a string of pearls,

Life is a mystery

Let its truth unfurl.

But is that so

When the wall still stands,

The divide still grows

And it remains a stretch,

To glimpse more than

A pauper’s promise

Of the other side.

How much longer

Will this go on

Before it all

Comes tumbling down.

And which side

Will you be on,

When the dust has

Come to settle.