One Tick Too Late

I ran with hope and books in hand, the gates ahead in view,

But time betrayed me with a tick that didn’t quite ring true.

A spring too slow, a fate too fast, my dream was left behind—

So I began to chase the clock that dared to twist my time.

They laughed at wires, rust and cold, “This will not ever last,”

But I believed in currents strong to leave the past in past.

I failed, I froze, I tried again, through every spark and storm—

Until one cell, with steady light, rewrote the ticking norm.

Some think that loss is where it ends,

But I have found it starts—

For every “no” can light a path

Through broken gears and hearts.

A single second changed my course—

Now time moves where I chart.

So listen close to ticking now—it hums with something new,

A pulse born not of winding springs, but something strong and true.

A boy who once missed one small chance built light that wouldn't fade—

A dream delayed, not lost, became the power we all made.