By Martin Falatic
Written 1998-10-18
Revised 1998-10-18

Here stands the shadow of a man
shattered by too many wasted years.
Time spent growing in knowledge,
yet draining of wisdom.

Diminished in spirit, emboldened in passion,
who sought out that which would challenge the heart...
Not the just cause of hope and perseverance,
but the hollow victory of lustful conquest,

He searched far and wide, for a mind to match his own,
Aimless wanderings far afield of the very philosophies he vocally espoused,
while silently ignoring all they contained.
A blind man, indeed, who lead himself on a path of destruction,

He loved many, in his way,
callous at times, unrelenting at others,
always holding on
til the next lifeline intersected his path.

A perpetual dance of satisfice and loss,
weeks spent alone, months spent enslaved,
a soul chained to the whims of an unthinking master,
wasting away in the body of unrepentant .

The suspect glance of his eyes in the mirror,
a soul that seems to reach out for renewal,
yet comfortable in the slack luxury of hopelessness.
his body grown slack, listless.