Shattered dreams

Once, a child with eyes aglow, Bright as diamonds, as snow, Wit and grace wrapped in a mold, A bloom in spring, a spark in the dark. Radiant as morning's first light, Untainted, pure, sheer youth's delight, Exuding juvenile allure and might. A mind unbound, brimming with dreams so grand— Too vast to believe they came from one so young. Fierce, bold, eager to chase the stars, No burdened thoughts to cloud his mind— A sprightly boy, boundless and free. --- But soon the world began to weigh, Voices urging him to turn away, "Be quiet now, fit in the mold." His dreams were stifled, his heart grew cold, Like a flame fading with the night, His passions drifted away—trodden underfoot. --- Now a man, walking with weary feet, A soul adrift, a life in shards. Once a dreamer, now a shell, Broken, defeated—now a castaway. Like a leaf blown by the wind— He wanders lost, his spirit crushed. --- The dreams still whisper in the dust, He longs to make his soul whole again. Can his soul ever be whole again