Hapless

I once picked up a pebble - just a fleeting, pretty stone.
I tucked it in my pocket to remind me I’m not alone.
At first I would admire how it shined in the right light.
But the longer my eyes looked, the more I missed its sight.
Hard against my grasp and smooth to the touch,
Was it really a distraction, or maybe just a crutch?
It devoured my attention and I fed it everyday.
Growing bigger and harder to keep my stone at bay.
My pocket ripped so I coveted the rock in my hand
Doting over it so much it should have turned to sand.
What started as a stone soon evolved into a boulder
It tumbled and accrued into the world upon my shoulder.
I am the thief that wrought it here so heavy on my mind
Abandoning it now would be futile and unkind.
So I dream from its shadow of a life less hapless
Anchoring me down while I’m pretending to be Atlas