My decision made in
haste was sealed
By ceremony- Drums,
Garlands, Applause-
They lifted me onto a
pedestal overnight
and called it greatness.
I watched my choice
harden into a role.
Watched myself become
an adjective- steadfast,
incorruptible, eternal.
Every celebration
tightened the knot.
How a man is trapped
not by chains but by
applause.
Duty grew louder than
Desire. Responsibility
Felt stronger than
My inner voice-
So I stayed.
I stood guard over
The decisions that were
no longer mine to
Protect futures that
Excluded my own.
But what good is a
Resolve without
contentment?
What good is a decision
without happiness?
A vow without revision
is a virtue disguised
as violence-
So beware of the sour
Old men who have no
Respite for reflection.
And remember me not
For the Resolve I made
But for the Warning
I became.