i’d known a time
when prodigy was a label i bore
a sure thing with quick mind
and talents beyond the average

so i ventured out into the vast countryside
my father suggested i wait
impatience at my most certain success
could not keep me any longer
my world awaited me

with one success after another
i started to conquer my dreams
the puppet master was dancing my strings
luring me farther from my home

my father sent a messenger
telling me i was needed at home
didn’t he realize that all i was doing
would benefit he and my family

i pressed on towards my goals
my vision becoming more of a challenge
i never thought i’d have to work
to make these dreams come true

my father sent another messenger
pleading for my return
he’d heard from others who were concerned
that it was not going well with me
i laughed at his naivete and theirs

it was becoming more of a struggle
than a challenge to get things done
another messenger from father
brought an anger to my heart

if he’d only trust my judgement
and stop the endless interruptions
i would surely find the going easier

the strings that kept me dancing
were becoming tangled and knotted
every step i tried to take
only found me all the more frustrated

tripping stumbling
things slipping through my fingers

rage filled my eyes at the sight
of father’s next messenger
with the same stupid smile
as the others he greeted me

“just come home”, i heard him say
“he’ll always love you”, he breathed out quickly
as i ushered him out the door with a punch
and a shove

my puppet master laughed
i could hear his glee as he jerked my strings
he giggled and pointed his bony finger
“your mine now boy
you never were your own”

i suddenly found myself out of a job
some trumped up charges no doubt
soon my friends all left me
since i could no longer buy their loyalty

for the first time in my life
true fear gripped my soul
too proud to ask
i could only hope to see another messenger

i tried to get a job
but times were tough
maybe i’d been blackballed
‘cause everywhere i turned i found
a door i could not budge

my thoughts often took me home
to a much much simpler time
and my father, my loving father
would always make things right

i wept when i thought of how i’d been
my father was always so loving
he continued to reach out
when i kept turning a deaf ear
with mockery and hatred

the landlord said i couldn’t stay
in a place i can’t afford
my pride was nearly diminished
as i hoped for my father’s messenger

with no place to live and no food to eat
i became the scourge of the city
the homeless the feared the shunned

my dreams and hopes had nearly vanished
into a hue of colorless form
a void of emptiness ripped through my soul
at the folly i’d endured
by my own hands

cold nights and long days
brought sickness and disease
my master found me and laughed
at my appearance

you can never go back
look at yourself
his words echoed in my heart
still no messenger came

in complete anguish
i cried out to no one in particular
won’t someone please give me a break

the silence
was
deafening

could i ever go home
would my father ever want to see me again
i’d spent all my inheritance
please god, let my father send a messenger
i want to go home

i knew if i ever tried to return
i would have to endure
the hindsight prophets

i could here them already
we told you not to go
we said you’d be back
and then the accusers would join in

he’s just wanting more money
he’ll steal his father’s last dime
he just uses people for his own gain

i was cold
i was hurting
hungry and scared

my pride now all gone
desperately i decided
to journey toward home

but the puppet master’s taunts rang loud
what if my father had moved
if he still loved me, why
why did he not send a messenger
in such a long time

as i started the trip
i did not realize how far i had gone
the journey lasted several days
i didn’t think i’d make it

would it be worth all the effort
if i were to get home and be rejected
who could blame them
who could blame him

i passed a familiar marker
i quickened my pace
my legs weak and malnourished
fought hard against my will

i raced toward the place i once called home
as i turned the corner
i saw him out searching the street
i ran to him and fell on my knees

hello, father
your prodigal has come home

i’m sorry i stuttered
as he shushed my voice
i’ve been praying for you son
i knew you’d come home
i was watching for you

his messengers scurried quickly
bringing clothes and some dinner
my father held me tightly as we cried