The Fountain

There’s always a catch

There’s always a clause

That if well understood

Would give one pause

Knowing this always

I forgot it because

I was greedy for my reward

I earned it you see

By climbing the mountain

Solving the riddles

Finding the fountain

Slaying monsters, of course

It’d be no quest without them

All of this with only a sword

Tired and battered

But surging with pride

I stared at my prize

So deep blue and wide

A waterfall towered

Over cascading tides

Of glistening wonderful magic

I crawled to the base

As my legs were so weak

From my journey, my battles

My ascent to the peak

I could hear my own breath

And my bones as they creaked

This scene by itself might seem tragic

Triumph is harsh

It often lacks grace

There was pain through my body

But joy crossed my face

I knew within paces

I’d be at the place

Where men become legends forever

I reached the embankment

I plunged in my hands

Instantly I was

Empowered to stand

Leaving my body

Were all life’s demands

I felt like I’d felt… well, never

A voice called to me

Loud and booming and far

It said “William Waite”

“Do you know where you are?”

I nodded while beaming

“Well, where is your jar?”

I shook my head back, and it sighed

“A bottle? A pitcher?

A cup of some kind?

Did you come all this way

And leave that behind?

You had sense to get here

But the rules slipped your mind?

“You must be filled with pride”

I shrunk as I stood

With nothing to say

I waited the silence

Til the voice gave way

It sighed again deeply

Working hard to convey

Disgust and it all came through

“Well, your friends are all dead

So you must be the best

Of that miserable lot

That was put to the test

You’re clearly quite dumb

But less than the rest

I guess, I’ll tell you what to do”

“There are many books

A few hundred or so

That tell of the fountain

Where the life waters flow

Perhaps, if you’d read one

You’d already know

But you didn’t, so, here we are”

“Take off your helmet…

...Incidentally, son

How did you prepare

As your journey begun?

And how did you make it

As the only one

When you clearly aren’t much of a star?”

I fumbled for words

But none came through

Chastised, confused

And challenged anew

I hit upon kneeling

As something to do

So, I did with respect to the voice

“Riiigghhtt, ok

Stand up instead

I don’t know why your helmet

Is still on your head

Take it off, place it down

And hear clearly what’s said

It’s time now to make a choice”

“You will write on your helmet

With the mud at your feet

A number that must

Be legibly neat

It’s the age that you never

Wish to complete

This you will dip in the pool with”

“Before you may drink
You must walk for a while

Not looking back

For more than a mile

This fountain will move

To a place more its style

To seek us again would be foolish”

“Don’t spill the water

Choose your age, well

Write of your story

In a book you can sell

You may even read one

Only time will tell

And time will be yours with no end”

I waited for more

But there was only the calm

I bent down and pressed

The ground with my palm

I dug in my fingers

And pondered upon

The age that I wanted to be

I stood with my helmet

And stared at my fate

My reflected face

Seemed to radiate

‘At twenty, I’ve done it

I’m already great!

Why should I decline at all?’

I wrote and I dipped

I walked and I drank

I did write a book

With the fountain to thank

For fame to embrace me

Money to bank

Then…  there came the wall

I hit it with force

Then I finally found

The metaphor for

When cars came around

I was winning the race

Then crashed with the sound

Of screaming, unbearable pain

Imagine enduring

The phases of youth

The awkwardly growing

Of body and tooth

From crawling and helpless

To teenage uncouth

Imagine an endless refrain

And you can’t learn

Anything you haven’t learned

You keep all your lessons

But nothing else earned

Your life and your rep

And your friends all returned

As you’re sent to be ripped from the womb

I get two years

Every two decade span

To live full and upright

Like the man that I am

I try to enjoy it

The best that I can

The light at the end of the tomb