Poem: Explosive Encouragement

Chipping away at the old block
In the Valley of Despair
in the Shadow of Doubt.

Can't go forward
Can't go back
thanks to this boulder in the way.

If you look beneath the surface
you see words chiseled there:
you'll never be as good as them.

The dying light highlights more text
what's the use of it all
you'll only fail.

All I have is a single pencil
the point blunted and flat
chipping away at the stone.

Suddenly a gift box
lands at my feet.
It's labeled "TNT for you and me."

The sticks bear names
written in gold
the names of friends.

I laugh and light them up
they sparkle like candles
on a rather forbidding cake.

The sight is spectacular
as the block crumbles away
flung to the four corners of the world.

The path is now clear
going forward will not be easy
there will be more rocks in the way.

No one can surmount this alone
sometimes you need a push
or a box of explosives.



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