I remember the day you appeared in my life.
As a child, you came to me as an angel of light

You taught me to grow independent and not rely
On another man’s descendant or a passer-by

You taught me ambition; success and wealth
So I made it my mission to progress in stealth

I climbed through peaks and valley
Traversed through summits and pit
Almost gave up when all this pain started to tally
But you were the one who told me not to quit.

And when I made it to the top of the mountain; what did I find?
But a mirror; ever clearer; an old man whom God did not design.

An Ode to the man I used to be and who God saved me from.