[Diablo]

I
stand
on my own,
seldom and steeled,
overshadowed by nobody else in my field.
It never appealed to me to do like the others
as by the strength of my will, I knew that I'd flourish!
I grew in abundance, and picked up the pace,
shooting on upwards while my elders withered and waned.
Each winter would claim another or more
I used to think of as great oaks and study their form!
I looked up to them all as a prodigal seed
- the summits they soared were where I wanted to be.
The problem for me was having to show composure
when the tops of the trees always got the most exposure.
Your growth is overlooked by thickets and tree shrubs
so I chose to go and put some clear distance between us.
Here I was given the freedom to be what I was bound
one particular season when they all experienced a drought.
While their leaves were turning brown, I was beginning to climb,
appearing unannounced to match their dizzying heights!
I quickly acclimatised before blooming here with patience
not limited by the other roots my peers had taken.
In truth, the years had aged them, as the frost had chipped away
and now fewer leaves were taking form upon their fickle frames.
The wanton winds of change whistled, a nod to nights ahead,
when it would no longer sing their names but songs of mine instead.
I prolonged my rightful tenure of at least on their par
but would want to strive for better, as I reached for the stars!
See, even as far as I may have come, the focus in me -
means you'll never see me regard my own growth as complete.
I'll go on competing so long as the sun is shining down
and won't be defeated for as long as time allows!
I'll become a giant, towering, oak defining this as my age
like the strong and mighty powerhouses I'd think of as greats.
You thickets all take the same path, slowing your growth,
while only the big and the brave choose to go it alone.
I'd chosen my own trajectory until that summit was reached
rather than going unnoticed, unable to see the wood for the trees.
I could have proceeded to copy their old fundamentals,
but then I wouldn't have realised my own full potential!
I couldn't settle for less than my apogee though -
I had to do something special with the talents I'd honed.
Now here
I stand
on my
own,
seldom
and
steeled,
over
shadowed
by
nobody
else
in
my
field.


- The Champion