To sing, or not
to sing - that is the question:
Whether 'tis
nobler to perch and abide
The slings and
arrows of mankind
Or to sing to the
high heavens in dissent
And, by demurring,
hope. To be heard, to be understood -
To be given a
chance to live; and not disappear in the shadows,
The heartache,
and the pain of loss
That the soul is
heir to. 'Tis my acquiescence;
And opportunistic
is man to glean – selfishly.
I spread my
wings - perchance to fly: ay, were that I could soar,
High enough that return
was irrelevant
Soar to some
other world that shuns mortal abode.
Pause - take a
rest; look what you have done -
How much you
give, and how much more you take
For who would
bear the whips and scorns of time?
You take more
land, you take the mountains
What gives you notion,
that they are yours alone?
The pangs of destroyed
homes, are mine,
The insolence of dominance,
yours alone
Tell me though,
do you suffer occasional pangs
Of disgrace, of remorse,
When you take a
battering ram, decimate what was never yours
To supplant it
with sand and stone?
'Tis with little grace, that you accept your blessings
And twist them to befit your intemperance -
What merits your
need? Or is it your greed?
When you bleed
the rivers? You are no beaver,
Yet you build
walls and wave your wand;
You become the
master, as the river bows and flows.
You make me bear
the ills as you laugh in mirth
Heed me
though - 'tis not for long,
Be not quick to dismiss this credence -
The tides will turn and soon
But, mayhap, conscience will addle your cowardice
And the certitude of doom give you pause.
You imprudent man! – who reigns earth, water and sky,
Let not your sins displace us all!
Written for the challenge 'Kerry Says ~ If Only They Could Talk' @ "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads". The base piece is 'Hamlet's Soliloquy'. The narrator is a wordless bird perched on a tree, a witness to the heedless deeds of man.
