Nicholas Browning

Dreams of Life Unlived

I have become the stagnant brine,

Creativity has become my prison.

Every day I sit and stare

Off into space without much care.

 

My foundation was curiosity,

The wonders that life kept hidden.

I\'ve seen a few, and so close they were -

Amongst women, children, and men.

 

I am a slave to enthusiasm,

Held captive by indecision.

Wasting away years simply spent

On keeping everything the same.

 

If what I seek has not been found,

Then this balance is limitation.

Fleeting wants and needs sustain

Self-loathing, and inhibition.

 

Am I to remain the head held under,

Am I to rejoice in my lack of choice?

Am I to attend the ceremony

Never once using my voice?

 

If I speak will I find solace,

If so, will comfort ever reciprocate?

If I inherit the will of great men now gone

Will I rise above this looming grave?

 

If I give in to that daring risk

Or that fervor and its passion,

Will all I\'ve built come crumbling down

Like castle walls amidst the grey;

If I stray any farther from this path outlaid

Will I face death before I\'ve lived?

If I concede to fate\'s ill temper

Will I ever be able to change?

 

Can I elude the frothing jaw of greed,

Is it befitting to ask for more?

May I find hope alongside the hapless,

Or affinity among the lorn?

 

With all my effort I\'ve strived to etch

This yearning into my being.

My family, friends; I love them all -

But something is always missing.

 

This fear cannot subdue persistence,

I\'ve already wasted too much time.

So before I fall to dread, I\'ll resist -

And I shall take this life as mine.