He stands on the edge,

Eyes locked straight ahead.

Thinking thoughts that long ago,

Filled him with dread.

The rope around his neck is steady,

The knot that holds it is strong,

At any minute he’ll be ready,

And in a flash, he’ll be gone.

 

Knees trembling, head spinning,

But his troubled mind is set.

By one way or another,

He must have his release, his rest.

When did life become such a burden,

When did he begin feeling so oppressed?

Depression and sadness now define him,

Happiness and joy long dead and repressed.

 

Twas not so long ago,

He was a perfect, unspoilt child,

Heart filled with ambition,

Mind untainted by pride.

The apple of his parents eye,

And what they built their lives around,

The centre of their being,

Absolute attention to his every sound.

 

The child grew, however.

Oh, it all happened so fast.

Hugs from dad and kisses from mom,

Soon became things of the past.

Though no longer fenced within a playpen,

Nay not that obvious were his chains.

A long hard life of forced study and struggle,

All added to his pains.

 

The unease within his mind,

Grew from an insect to a raging beast.

As he fought to break his perceived chains,

And rebelled to break free.

The smile left his face,

And the light, his eyes.

And he grew into a hard man,

From an innocent little child.

 

Tormented by his inner demons,

Sleep evaded him night and day.

His mind would not grant him a seconds rest,

It screamed all it had to say.

“YOU ARE TRAPPED!

Trapped, by your parents ambition.

Trapped, by societys expectations.

Trapped, by rules and regulations.

Trapped, by social convention.”

 

“Not fit for this life, you are,

Move on, you must.

Spare your parents the pain of seeing,

Their only childs future become dust.

Put one small foot forward.

Thats all it will ever take.

A quick fall, one slight tug,

An end to the madness, you can make.”

 

He closes his eyes and draws a deep breath,

A sense of calm overtakes him.

His knees dont tremble, his tears dry up,

He feels peace within.

He takes the fateful step forward,

And that was all she wrote.

A quick fit of kicking and struggling,

And his life was no longer of note.

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