He withered away slowly
Folded in, let go and relaxed
As time began to play tricks on his body

They say he used to tell stories
The old man
Stories of magic and sunshine showers and warm rain
Blue grass and white sand and endless oceans of flowers

They say something changed him

And whatever it was,
it began as something subtle at first
Nobody said a thing
Time passed &
his behaviors became stranger,
people murmured

He no longer yearned for his dreams
to come true,
becoming reclusive,
he rarely ventured outside anymore
to count the stars or
to sing rhymes,
play in the rain or
to catch butterflies
His taste for fine wine
disappeared altogether
like his pets

And if anybody knew
the pain he held inside,
they would have traded
their own world for his.

Sometimes you can see him
Sitting alone amidst the crowds
His eyes open, but not seeing
Lost, they say
Or perhaps, misunderstood
His hands fold gently across knees that once held children
In all their excitement for a new tale
His shoulders, once proud, carrying the air of glory
Now slump under the weight of
Something heavier than sadness

He's only a shell of who he once was
His lips no longer speak
of kindness nor gentleness,
there is something deeper,
a madness of sorts,
something burning,
hellfire flickers behind black irises
Some say he lives on the fringes,
survives on his broken heart,
could become unhinged at any moment
Keeping their distance,
nobody has the courage to ask,
they just go about their business,
as if his life doesn't matter

If there is a horizon to depression
Certainly, he has found it
The void extended an icy grip
Sealing him cold and bitter
He is entwined within a mess of his haunted past
Who will ask?
An eidolon stalks him
Begging to be released from sealed lips
Stamped together like a letter, never to be opened
Spoken of
Silence is laid across him like a blanket of despair

Cares of a better life
he discarded early,
the hands of the ones he loved
strangled all hope,
his bitterness lay silent,
crushing spirit
creating a hatred deep within
his heart,
so strong was this,
not love,
not a million kisses,
endless affection
could fix it,
he was too far gone.