Staircase Poem by Paul Reed

This staircase in front of me
Has felt the thud of leaden feet
Trudging slowly upwards
When the feeling was not so sweet;

Through the sleepy half-haze of wakefulness
How many mornings has it borne
The stepping laboriously to a new day
The stifling of the tired yawn;

Upwards, ever upwards they rose
Clambering, climbing on their merry way,
Only to fall, tumble, descend
As their life's plans went astray.