and just like that,
with no warning or much ado,
i stood before this shiny gate,
all glitter and gold.
it bade me fondly to enter,
and as i reached to push my way in,
i spied a tiny slip tucked in a crack,
on it was written, in letters black,
"for all ye who enter,
here and henceforth,
a spotlight shall relentlessly shine,
every step, every word, every gesture,
fair game, to be twisted as it pleases,
for shallow perverse entertainment.
no respite, no refuge,
this world a gilded cage and you the prized lion."
as my eyes read and widened in horror,
in my mind images formed,
of lost freedom,
of lost true friends,
of a lost life that i loved so much,
and yet, i also saw,
the gained power of reach,
of my new ability to really change,
of being heard by those that need to listen,
of listening to those that need to be heard,
of being who i always wanted to be,
to be the change i wanted to see.
my extended arm paused a bit, hesitating,
my mind tossed and weighed.
"now you know", it eventually said,
"what to beware and what to treasure,
what to dwindle and what to kindle.
so thus forewarned, my dear,
go forth and push through,
for our destiny eagerly awaits."
