The Prodigal Son/The Noble Hobbyist

The boy stood at the edge of oblivion--
  A dream in one hand, and a consequence in the other--

He spent his days searching for absolution,
But had only found everything other
Out of all the solutions that had been offered,
He was unable to find any of them satisfying
And even in the shadows where all had faltered,

He would never stop searching,
He would never stop trying--

The boy kept his pace, and never missing a beat,
He was matched only by the opportunities
That he had left trampled beneath his feet

His only hope, that he could one day stand at the edge of oblivion,
  --a dream in one hand, and a consequence in the other--
And watch nobly as everyone else began to flee--