Shell of a Man

SHELL OF A MAN

I am a shell of a man.

the damage had been done at school

where I played the fool for two years

and then withdrew

If you hold me up to your ear 

you wont hear the sea

just cogs and springs and tepid tea

a rag teddy of a man

similar to his childhood toy 

the one he held so tight when he was a boy

I tread this earth alone and groan

as I bear witness to the empty foam

I stand before you with frozen gaze

as I think back to better days

It's a long, long way back to when I could say

"I'm all right Jack"

Now like a Clam shell, set in my ways

you'd need a sledgehammer to crack this nut.

The daily tide wears you down

and leaves you with a bitter frown,

the shell that I carry is now my head,

anxiety, dread, 
no sleep, 
bed.