Youth, I curse thee!

Youth, I curse thee! You have fooled the brightest,

Tricked ones with the conscience,

With coaxing schemes that dazzle, bold and sly;

You whisper, “You are endless, never broken,

A body carved from stone, a heart of never-ending flame."

Yet flesh is frail, and every vow once daringly spoken

Turns ghostly pale when trial calls its name.

But still within that lie a truth resides:

The dream itself is fragile, yet it glows.

Though youth deceives, the soul is steeled by tides,

An integrity more steadfast than the fiercest tempest knows.

So curse thee, Youth! Yet bless the ache and teaching you gave,

For courage forged in dark is what makes mortals brave for trial to engrave.