He never saw thirty three

He never saw thirty-three
and although he aimed
to be a great teacher
and had a university degree,
was a good writer
and loved poetry

he was struck down
before his time
by a illness
diagnosed too late
by university doctors
that didn’t want
to believe that he was ill
until his life was taken by fate

and while his heart
burnt for his fellow men
he tried to reach
for something more
and his eyes was set
on another shore.