A Second Chance Poem by Alex Francis Komban

The child looked intently into my eyes
And to my surprise started uttering words of despair
Words which sent a chill down my spine
Showed me memories containing my terrible wrongdoings

My greatest fears and regrets reminded sadistically
Mistakes which I had tried long and hard to forget
I saw a church, ran into it, hoping to take refuge in gods outstretched arms
Only to see all divine and saintly statues replaced by ugly gargoyles

Their jeers ringing in my ears, their sights piercing through my heart
My vision blurred by irregular symbols and unrecognizable people.
“Show me some mercy, it’s all my fault, give me one more chance”
I cried, but words never came out of my mouth

The feeling of regret had undeniably extinguished my voice
But then I saw light, which blinded me and brought me down to my knees
I woke up, with sweat on my forehead, tears trickling down my eyes
“O God! But when did I fall asleep? ”I thought

Sleep is the ultimate seductress
She comes to us and embraces us,
We have no option but to let it engulf us
She then takes us to a world so different from ours

A place where our dreams and fears come true
A world where we have no disguises and are at our true selves
The brain forgets many things, but the soul suffers from the very same
I lay awake, thinking of what I had seen for a minute

“Who was that child? Was it my innocent younger self?
Have I turned into such a selfish and greedy monster
Like the gargoyles I had seen? But is this dream a wake up call?
Is it a second chance for redemption or a warning of retribution? ”

We all make mistakes, to stay afloat in this bitter world
Struggling to continue on with our insignificant lives
Had it been a dream, it would have long faded out of my memory
But the nightmare lingered to turn me back to the child that I was.