He dreamed of another time
A time that never was
In a place that might have been
He dreamed of a bridge
From a land spare and dry
To a fabled city on a hill
He dreamed of a fog
That stood between
Where he was
And where he could be
In the dream
The fog never cleared
He never crossed the bridge
When he woke
He realized the fog
Was the nightmare of his childhood
The bridge was a path
From the child to the man
From who he was
To who he could be
He would never cross the bridge
So long as he held the fears
Of the child
He would never overcome the fears
Until he allowed himself
To feel the child’s pain