Life's Tainted Ladder

Climb’d up this ladder thus far, hath I…
Looking down upon all I leave now, behind,
All I’ve ever wanted, ever strived for,
It is all in my sights, and seems only dreams, no more…
So long have I labor’d so arduously,
And worth it all now, it doth seem…
When a swallow didst come to me,
As though, to share this great glory…
O, little swallow, said I,
Hast thee come to help this work so far, quickly go by?
Thank you kindly little friend,
To you, my helping hand I should always lend!
And then, he so swiftly slap’d my face,
So greatly lessening my sweetly grace…
And once again to my hand,
Seemingly hoping, upon the ground I wouldst land…
As I watch’d the sky, of which, so hopeful once was I,
Its clouds so quickly lessened, as lower and lower I did fly!
As I let myself float in the sickly air,
I felt as though life hath given me all I could bare.
I lay back in my self-disdain,
Feeling all of my dreams, so greedily being slain.
And as I fall for my own error,
My soul doth bleed…now it lies in a pool of blood,
blood it bled of my own failure…