The Burdens of a Devoted Provider

To labor and toil, to strive and strive,
He worked each day from morn till eve,
To earn enough to keep his kin alive,
And build a house of gold for his dear mother,
Who'd been a widow for so many years.
But as the days and nights did pass,
He found himself exhausted, worn, and tired,
His dreams of freedom and a better life,
For him and his, slowly slipping away.

He'd sacrifice sleep and food,
For the sake of his family's needs,
And though he worked himself to the bone,
The debt and struggles never ceased.
But still, he dreamed of better days,
When all his hard work would pay off,
And he could finally rest and breathe,
Free from the burden of his daily grind.

But as fate would have it, one day,
He fell ill and was admitted to the hospital,
Where in a dream, he saw his father,
Who'd passed away so many years ago.
His father spoke to him, and said,
"My son, why do you sacrifice so much?
Your health is more important than wealth.
Don't compromise your youth in pursuit of a dream."

And with those words, he woke,
To find himself alone in a sterile room,
Heartbroken that his father's visit
Had been but a dream, and he couldn't speak
To him and tell him that he understood,
That he'd do it all again, for his family's needs.

But now, as he lay there, in the hospital,
He realized the toll his choices had taken,
The sacrifices he'd made, the dreams he'd chased,
Had left him with a mid-life crisis,
At a young age, with nothing to show
But regrets and a broken heart.

He felt the weight of the world upon his shoulders,
As he lay there, trapped in his sickbed,
Regretting the path he'd chosen to tread,
And wishing he could turn back time,
To make different choices, to live a different life.

He thought of all the days and nights,
He'd spent working tirelessly,
To earn enough to keep his family fed,
And to build that house of gold for his mother,
But now he realized, that it was all for naught,
For in the end, it was his health that he'd lost.

He remembered the words of his father,
In his dream, and knew that he was right,
He should have taken better care of himself,
And not sacrificed so much for his family's needs,
For in the end, he was left with nothing,
But a broken heart and a wasted youth.

And so, he made a vow, to himself,
To live the rest of his days differently,
To prioritize his health and well-being,
And to chase his dreams, without compromise,
For he knew that in order to truly be free,
He must first learn to love and care for himself.

And as he lay there, in the hospital,
He knew that he had a long road ahead,
To heal his broken heart and regain his youth,
But he was determined to make the most of it,
For he knew that the only way to true freedom,
Was to live a life true to oneself.