A Boy, sixteen; alone, confused,

And sitting in the dock,

Remanded into custody,

And shaking from the shock.

Months passed before he plead so,

But he was guilty from the start,

And all that guilt burned in his chest,

Flames licking at his heart.

But the pain he felt, and feels still,

Was not just his alone;

Every life he had affected,

Cast a shadow on his own.

And there beneath those shadows,

The boy was plagued with shame,

And so he fought to change and grow,

Into a man of better name.

But ten years on I carry still,

The scorched and heavy heart,

Of that boy, sixteen, alone confused,

And shaking in the dark.

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