The Last Nail

The Last Nail Consider the paths that you follow through life From those very first steps, unstable, unsure, An unheeded fall is your coffins first nail, Yet how many more will you have to endure? Progress is slow as you learn how to walk But the pace slowly quickens as weeks turn to years; An infant 'en route' to those first days at school Where the hammer descends as you conquer your fears. Sharp are the nails that are randomly placed By the malice that follows the terms as you grow: How many? You find that it's hard to recall Though the dents in the lid are starting to show. Having crawled from the pitfalls a new phase begins As you follow new roads, towards adulthood; Yet whilst on the way some odd nails fall in place While you try hard to sever the bad from the good. Some respite whilst travelling gives you some cheer, With your only true friend, as you later will learn; New languages spoken, new faces, new scenes, Horizons stretched out for the life that you yearn. Home once again is the place that you hate As you try to fit in to a recognised mould, Yet nails are still there so a door you must close And you follow the path of the masters of old. Learning now beckons so again you begin, And try to create what you feel in your heart, Yet expression of self is still seen as a sin, For a real job is where they all say you must start. To hell with them all and those nails they hold Just waiting their chance to ensure you're entombed, So you shut out the world and just focus on life And nurture the growth that has so longed to bloom. Love crosses your path, yet you travel alone, Creating more nails that would seal your fate But still you survive in a sad lonely world As you try hard to finish those ideals you create. At last you can see that you've run out of time And the world you would show is now lost from your sight, So lie back in your coffin as the last nail descends, To pierce your heart with a last ray of light.