Labyrinth of the Mind

Once there was a man who worked in the mines,

But these were not ordinary mines, oh no, they were intertwined,

With the twists and turns of his own mind,

A labyrinth of thoughts and fears, a world so unkind.

He descended deep into the earth each day,

Into the blackened depths where no light could stray,

But as he delved deeper, he began to see,

That the walls around him were not real, but a part of his own reverie.

The air was thick with dust and soot,

But as he looked closer, he saw that the coal was not truly soot,

It was the manifestation of his own doubts and fears,

The weight of his life's struggles, crystallised through the years.

He swung his pick with all his might and main,

Hacking away at the coal that caused him so much pain,

But as he worked, the walls around him shook,

As if his actions were tearing apart the very fabric of his own psyche.

He toiled on, for his family's sake he was content,

But as he laboured, he began to repent,

For the life he had chosen, so dark and so dreary,

Was it worth it, he wondered, was it truly necessary?

So he pushed on, day after day,

Through the darkness and the dirt, in a never-ending fray,

He was a man of strength and courage, a man of might,

But was this the life he truly wanted, a life without light?