The Tumbled Tower (Poetry)

The one thing I thought I could rely on —
the citadel of self
is crumbling under pressure
giving up to failing health

The walls believed so straight and faithful
in the flags I chose to wear
are weakened by long years of stress
they lean towards despair

There’s no builder who can mend them —
patch the wings and heal the skin
resurrect the tumbled tower
and revive the ghost within

No real surprise all things considered
how neglect takes its due toll
when the world goes on regardless
of the body or the soul

But the ultimate betrayal
is the one imagined friend
who leaves all hope in ruins
and deserts us at the end