Promise of a Man

Not quite the hero
I’d expected
Just a story-telling reptile

Still, a miracle perhaps, but
So much lizard
In the moment
Underneath the tailcoat

You’d be forgiven
For not seeing in between
Stretched out over a whole lifetime
So short and ill-equipped
The awkward attempt at being human

A fine morning mist
Rising from the waves
Beneath a cloudless sky

Not more than a subtle haze
Hardly material
Pierced by a ray of light

Not quite yet breath
But still
The promise of a man