Child Of Fear

Child of fear, partly formed middle-aged man!

You flounder bravely to catch your lost youth,

A knotted ball of yearning to be free,

You now attempt to unravel.

The rights of passage never were endured

To take you to manhood.

Haltingly you test your courage,

Try to go beyond your coddled safety zone.

How you talk and talk – the ifs, the buts, “the when I’m stronger,”

Preface to the voiced dreams of exploration and adventure.

The need to be encouraged,

To soothe barely concealed fears that lurk like demons

Scuttling your far-reaching plans

Of letting go of props and crutches,

To be the independent man you’ve never been.

Baby steps get taken,

But not without the play and replay of anxious thoughts,

The endless overture to action.

—By Gabrielle Blair—