with rain pouring

from his sad eyes

the old man

told to me

his lifes story

in a trembling voice

 

when a child

he'd plenty of time

to endlessly explore

the puzzling pathways

around him

to find the key

to open the door

and uncover

the secrets of

of his universe

he saw the world

through optimistic eyes

 

As a youth he was rebellious

he rushed through

life in anger

had no time to

stop

notice

or consider

lifes obstacles

and threw caution to the wind

 

When a young man

he became a doubting Thomas

and worked hard for a living

to pay the bank manager

his schilling

and had no appetite

for lifes passions

 

as an old man now

he sees life

through pessimistic glasses

and the sands of time

have almost slipped

through his fingers

the onset of infirmities

has now numbed his imagination

he looks back

with regrets of how

things could

have been different

 

at the end

he sobbed unconsolably

and his voice drowned

into silence