MASTERY
 

No matter what.

Always.

Do as the "Good Book" says.

Ask no questions.

Keep the faith.

And if you worship an' pray,

All your livin' days.

You will be kept safe.
 

First you,

Coerce me,

Into,

Being what you,

Want me,

To be.

Then you,

Try to,

Force me to,

Live my life,

The way,

You want me to.
 

Can't you see?

I feel things,

Differently.

An' sometimes,

I feel,

More than you,

Might want me to.
 

Can't you see?

That personally,

I would rather be,

Someone,

Naturally.

Than be,

Another clone,

To spend all eternity,

In your retirement home.
 

Be right.

Never wrong.

Fight the good fight.

Be strong.

Be pure an' white.

All your life.
 

I would rather be,

Your worst enemy.

Duly anointed.

Selfly appointed.

To be,

One on the few,

Loyal an' truly,

One of the,

Motley crew.

Than be,

One of the,

Lucky seven.

Sent to the Hell,

You call,

Heaven.
 

Obey the laws,

Of the land.

Support the cause.

Lend a hand.

'Cause we could all,

Help each other,

Into the jaws,

Of one another.

Into the claws,

Of our brother.
 

I would rather be.

A defender,

Of the free.

Doing what I can do,

To mend the fabric,

Of our society.

So dry an' cracked,

Is the glue.

That everything,

As far as I can see,

Is falling apart.

I can read the signs.

But they don't tell me,

Where to start.
 

These are the times,

So many are blind,

To the crimes,

That violently,

Leave their scars,

On the mind.
 

So many are deaf,

An' sit there silently.

Listen an' learn.

Or be among those,

That are missin',

And burned.

False or true?

When the table's been turned,

What do you do?
 

I would rather be,

Burned at the stake.

Alive an' awake.

'Till I die.

Than be a mistake,

To myself.

A lie in the eye.

Just for your sake.

I'd rather,

Stick my thumb in the pie.

Make an' take,

My own break.
 

Love an' fate.

Destiny an' hate.

Control our world.

A twisted mind of state,

We are all hurled.
 

I would rather be dead.

Non-existent.

Nothing left of me,

Mentally,

Or physically,

This very instant.

Totally unaware,

Of any former existence.

With not a care,

Relative,

Or distant.

Where none of me,

Can be,

Warped,

Or bent,

Or sent,

Into absurdity.

Ending up,

Being totally spent,

Tryin' to,

Resist it.

The reality,

Of your fantasy.
 

Laugh an' cry.

Live an' die.

Constantly struggle,

Through the tides of strife.

Wonder why?

Sometimes it cuts,

Like a razor sharp knife.
 

I would rather be,

Me.

The person that I am.

Than fake being part,

Of your,

Master plan.

So what if you gave me,

The right to choose.

Either way I see it,

I lose.
 

With "The Word",

I am faced.

An' so I've heard,

He has amazing grace.

But what is so absurd,

Is all I've observed,

Is the amazing waste.
 

Survivin' everyday.

To grow old.

Always doing,

As you're told.

The same old way.

I would rather be,

If I had a wish.

A bird,

Or cat,

Or fish.

Than to be,

An intelligent being.

Watching the older generations,

Leave this world,

In constant degeneration.
 

So many answers.

To the wrong questions.

So many cancers.

Too many solutions.
 

Today's news,

Is nothing new.

If everyone is tryin',

What are they tryin' to do?

Give someone else,

The screw?
 

Praise thy name.

Praise thy glory.

Play the game.

You know the story.

Submit to "the King".

"The Almighty God".

Or worry what fate will bring,

To put on the path of life,

That you trod.
 

I would rather,

Get lost in the cracks.

An' never even know the facts.

Never having to face,

Your idea of the truth.

As you perceive it to be.
 

Oh say,

Can you see?

I would rather be,

Runnin' wild,

Runnin' free,

From your,

Mastery.

Copyright © 1993 by Alexander McDonald

All rights reserved.