He makes his way down the street
A lonely man trodding on his feet
Ice covers the path as well as his mind
Like a formidable fortress, defending his thoughts
From the warmth and feathers perched in his chest
A tune propels itself against the stone
But it prevails and sends the tune home
The harsh winter night provides a haven for the darkness
As it creeps in through the seeping cold
Cars pass him with restlessness
Furthermore proving his mold
Currents rush beneath the concrete
And will soon make his life complete
When the tune seems to stop
And he uncertainly makes his way to the edge
He sees a cop
But he makes his final pledge
Words batter the fortress
But the ice sustains
Until something leaves its perch
And glides over the walls
A single feather falls
And brings back it all
A blanket drapes itself over his shoulders and wraps around his body
The ice melts and the sky reveals a starry night
The tune has returned
But it was always there
No matter how faint
Or how small
What sparked this poem was when after heading back from a hockey game in Lewiston, I saw a man on the side of a bridge with police trying to coerce him from jumping. I tried to put myself in his shoes when writing about hope. I looked up the incident and found out that the man did not jump, so I guess there was hope.
Dylan, I really enjoyed this poem. It was one of the finalists for the school-wide writing contest.