Lapsed Poem by Elizabeth Shield

You are a man grown, but afraid
Of the future and it's billows
Of what steps to take
You oscillate
Between your many choices,
Between action and inaction,
And then subside.

No choice is still a choice.
You know it but pretend not to see.

You are fledged and feathered,
But not yet flown.
You are faded and worn,
Yet you've never left home.
The world is yours, yet you aren't free.
It burdens you, it bends your shoulders down.
Gentle and retiring,
I see the struggle dying in your eyes.

What is youth if it's reduced to this?

You were the one: tall and talented;
We had no doubt of your success.
You charmed our hearts with
Wit and confidence.
Where are you now?
You've halted in the making,
you cannot find the path.

A once sturdy jar has crumbled,
And now must be recast.