Where is I?

Once upon a time
There lived Innocence
Till Life the sculptor
Used many a tool
Friends, enemies, strangers
And chipped away
To reveal Worldlywise.
I freed him, he said

But Innocence lives trapped
Life keeps him ensnared
If Innocence returns
Will not Worldlywise wan?
His failed creation.
Innocence after all shines bright
While Life’s creation is pockmarked
Scarred, ruined

Innocence is in the Lion’s cubs’ shoes
A cub captured by man and treated well
But the cub no more has a life.
The pack is scared.
They see a forgotten themselves,
He reminds them of a tragedy.
Innocence can’t survive
Stifle him, no kill.
Worldywise and his pack
They can’t live in a dream.

Maya

Achieving a sense of meaninglessness
Each triumph a loss
An aspiration fulfilled
And a dream shattered

What has left?
The fantasy that is satisfaction
The facade of hope
The emptiness of bookish promises

What is left?
Life to live

Infuse strength into desire
For short is long
Though sometimes vice versa