in this wild prison
that we cling with our lives
and share with a predatory beast;
an armed idiot stalking the rim
for a type of survival
in the form of a crown
the only thing
he seems able to grasp
i must be candid
i must be a candid
friend
candid to make sure he sees my lines;
mark what trees and corners
with whatever scent he can recognize
i must be honest not just
to protect my life but
just in case i need to
remain and remember what honour
i will need to carry before
exiting this prison
my honesty will show my strength
not because i bristled and flexed
but because
the beast must know me
before the end of our exchange
and my honesty must extend friendship
to recover my compassion
because I know I cannot defeat him
on the terms that he lives by, I must make use
of older wisdom that generally
has not been mine
the truth is we need to share
yes, share — a better vision
because of all the futures that we can imagine
we only get to have one
© lyw
An American Hero 