Burden

"Burden" 

I feel crushed as the weight of this world pins me down.
It rests fully upon me,
Upon my body and my tired soul.
I stare up at the wispy clouds overhead, my breath labored.

The clouds are floating freely, so light,
Changing their shape ever so slowly,
So angelic, filled with colors unseen.
Why can't I change my shape, my attitude, my mindset
As these clouds do along their journey?

Sometimes I don't know, how will I continue.
Whether it's the burden of past decisions which forces me down
Or the burden of past ways which have hurt others.
My cross to bear, my rock to push up the hill,
My Earth resting so precariously on my shoulders.

A hand reaches downward from the Heavens, lifts me up.
My guardian angel caresses my face, wiping away that salty tear.
I am here to help, to give you strength.

My son! We all bear those crosses, of different shapes and sizes.
You are not the young man of your twenties.
You are not the naive fool wandering the maze.
You are not the child you once were.

You will make it, you will go forward.
You may suffer but you will not forget.
Life is not the hopeless struggle of Tantalus or Sisyphus.

Life is the struggle of meaning which you seek.
Your journey may take the passage of time.
But as the drops of our tears slowly erode the stone,
You will eventually be free of this burden.