Manhood

I look at my place now
this world
this shell
and I wonder would it be wise
I wonder won’t you harbor my cries
To leave would be my freedom
to go both strong and bold
my freedom...!
Yet leave, I do, my sheltered life
I leave it behind
with a speedy goodbye
and I think,
“Why, why must I
walk forth in blind ignorance
there is a world out there
mad and chaotic
and I must—MUST find
purchase in such calamity.”
Inside, deep down, I feel an awakening urge
an urge to wait
to sit and think
and to let such foolishness die
Am I so weak, so single-minded then
that I will falsely preordain my future
and cast aside all my hopes and dreams
the very filament of my self
How foul and unfair that would be?
And so I rush forth
with my shoulders weighed down
heavy with all my worldly possessions
and as I reach the edge of my home ground
I wave a sad farewell
to my youth
And set out to become a man
and face my future…