The Spark

There once was a boy
Who walked through his world
With a thick coat of armor
Like the shell of a turtle
And he would not let
Any man or woman
Cross through the shell
And touch him
From where came this shell?
Many have wondered
Perhaps from his past
Or a family so cold
Perhaps from his pain
And the hope to avoid more
Perhaps he simply
Did not like to be touched
Whatever the reason
He walked through this world
The turtle boy
With the aching desire
To hold someone close
And let them inside
Let them cross o'er the threshold
And enter his courts
And finally hug someone
The way he wanted to be hugged
But he couldn't just let anyone
In through the doors
He waited and watched
And his reputation grew
He was the untouchable
The one in the bubble
And no one could cross it
Even when they thought they could
He was alone in the crowd
And he hated the feeling
But he could only ever
Let one person have the key
To draw close to him
And break the turtle spell on him
But the last two squandered
And wasted the gift
The last two had thrown away
The key to his hugs
And so he was reluctant
To let anyone else in again
And he thought to live his life
Out in the walls of his shell
Never feel the touch of human
Or the warmth of a hug
And then came the night
Tonight in the cold
When the hug was offered
And he decided to be bold
And he gave her the key
That self same one thrown aside
And he told her it's okay
And she could hug him anytime
And the coal he thought dying
And the flame he thought without hope
Burt forth into life
And the inferno could awake
So shall it awake?
Once more to burn bright
Maybe it will
Was touched by hope tonight
Maybe a bit of slumber
Maybe just a bit of sleep
Till morrow sweet rising
The answer will keep
For tonight the coal glows
And it's warmth is sustained
For tonight there is love
And it may bloom again