Born with a soul that would fray
When useless legs were taken away.
A tragic hero of his day.
Shakespeare could have written the play.
Unable to stand tall,
Swallowing furious gall,
He dug deep in his soul
To push himself to glory.
Brutal uncried tears
Flooded his soul.
Roaring and gouging
His path to glory.
The world applauded,
Praised, revered
The runaway legless boy.
He was their success story.
A hero, tragic hero.
Demons of anger and anguish
Forcing him upward
Clawing him under.
No medals could protect him
From the abyss’ maw;
His inescapable flaw.
Legs amputated, his soul castrated.
Trophies and medals won
And the power of the gun;
Props to kick back his dragon
With an inner scream
“I really am a man!”
Precarious at his summit
Fighting demons all around,
His dragon ripped out the heart,
The beauty, the light.
Threw the legless boy
Into the night.
Falling, clutching, crying;
Tattered lives around him.
Fatuous followers who once revered him
Turned and spurned
Their fallen icon.
Theirs was to share in his glory
Not in the story
Of a broken man in pain.
SHARON HEANEY STANSFIELD
Sharon writes poems to get people talking, thinking, sharing and feeling. CLICK HERE to see her INDEX OF POEMS