The Savior

He was thirteen
When he decided
His purpose in life
Was to save the world.
It was a decision
Born entirely
On his own need
For recognition,
And reflected nothing
Of the condition
Of the world.
He hungered
To be somebody,
To make a difference,
To win the praise
Of the multitudes.
In time he grew frustrated
At his inability
To carry out
Such a lofty plan,
And he began
Scaling down
The scope of his mission.
It shrank
From the world
Down to the nation,
Down to his state,
And further down
To his city,
Then to his family
And finally to himself.
In the end
He could save no one,
Not even himself.
He never became
The hero he thought
He had to be,
At least not
In his own eyes,
And it took him
A lifetime to realize
That the world
Never needed saving
In the first place.