You were there, but not for staying
Those haunting memories tormented
You, more than I. Shaped us both
Founded our outlooks
Moulded our psyches.
Shared experiences smelted the ore of youth which had burst from the same vein
Yet poured into separate casts
tempered, hammered and cooled with differing techniques

One became a shield, a stoic rock which  suppressed the emotive onslaught
The other became an unbridled mace and bludgeoned through the strife

Balance had been severed
Connections torn

For years we played the personas our past had forged
One understandably unruly, the other stubbornly stable
Until, through the creations of your own, you grew
By no means in perfection
You found your means of dropping the club
Of becoming someone better
Of someone you are happy to be

I had to throw the shield on my back
Take time unspoken
Untether thoughts and live life
Carefree

Connections took a while to reform
The emotional shackles of the past
Though slacker than they were
still bind tight if given a chance
But the mace is an honest sage with advice
And the shield reciprocates when called upon.

The chains aren't bad
We just have to learn how to wear them.