Despite the innocence and optimism of youth
Yearning for a time when hardship will soothe
In comes the learning of discomforting truth
Nefariously dashing hopes in a manner uncouth
Growing wise induces pain like the wisdom tooth
Daring to believe that one day all will be better
Rainstorms flood fantasies as tears get wetter
Eons pass by while soft skin toughens to leather
Ambition become inhibition, curbed by a fetter
Mourn in silence for the disenchanted go-getter
K.G. says…
You saw what I did there, right? From a creative perspective, this is one of the poems I’m most proud of because it was more challenging to complete than I anticipated. I’d set myself the task of writing a piece in which the title would be spelt using the first letters of every line – and it also had to rhyme.
There is also meaning beyond its aesthetic appeal. As most of us get older, many of the high hopes we once had gradually become diluted and fade. Reality bites and life comes at us fast. We grow older to become less carefree and more cautious. Although we go on to achieve other things, there remain aspects of life we wished had (or expected to) turn out differently. I wanted to try and capture the feeling associated with unfulfilled dreams.
Kwame Ghold 