Deep Inside Me

Deep inside me
Is a terrified child
Craving reassurance
That all has been well
And all will be well
In the end
Despite all the doubts that assail him

All around me
Are confident adults
Expecting me to be like them
Performing my duties
In a world of their own
That I can’t abide

I try to take this child by the hand
And do all that I can
To make him a Man
Who holds his head high
Looking down from the sky
Whence all can be seen
Whether virtuous or mean

But the child resists
And begs to insist
That I really don’t know what he’s talking about –
And neither does he

Somewhere there’s a gap
Between his world and mine
That prevents us from being
At home with each other
Especially when tested
By the call to achieve
In a world we both hate
Where every success is taken for granted
And every failure is proof of inadequacy

And so we continue
In our faltering way
To do what we can
And leave it at that
In a world growing fat
On a diet of lies
That he and me both
Can never disguise
But only despise