Giving In

What happens when the phoenix doesn't rise?
What will come of his legacy, the day he finally dies?

Will it all have been for naught? Will it all have been in vain?
Would it matter how much he fought? Or how he handled pain?

What happens if he becomes mortal? A man covered in soot.
Wings burned away in ashes, and forced to walk on foot.

Is this man truly strong? Or like all else, will he be weak?
This fallen phoenix of hope and love, forced to become meek.

Will the gates ever again open for him? Or forever remain shut?
Has he lost his way to freedom? Or just simply down on his luck?

This one will not rise. And he may not carry on.
Who will really miss him, when his legacy is gone?

Back at home in the chains, mere flight was just a dream.
A childish thing of empty hope. Or at least, that's how it seems.