THE YOUNG MAN

When he was twenty
The soothsayer held his wrists and croned
"in the future, a man younger than you will ruin your dreams."
He was full of strong will,
and would not let anything stand in the way of his ambitions.
He kept his eyes out,
he continued his ascent,
Impressing his peers and his superiors,
snapping at others and cracking the whip,
always keeping his eyes out for that younger man.
He scrutinized those a few years younger than himself
as he rose up the ranks,
his forearms buried in the steel of his work.
He hadn't seen his family in years,
trapped in his own ambition,
and his relationship with Polly had become strained.
There was still no sign of that younger man.
It wasn't until he was 27
and he looked around
realizing he had lost the things
that mattered the most to him
that he realized that he, himself,
had been that younger man.