The Fierce Decree

Stand tall, a pillar against the deep night,

Let your own fire be the singular light.

For a \"No\" is a murmur, a weak failing sound,

And the ground of your purpose must fiercely be found.

Never surrender the power you hold,

Let your narrative be steel, sharp and bold.

The heart that seeks comfort will find itself lost,

For trust is a fragile and ruinous cost.

Observe those who circle, who claim to be kin;

They are masks on the surface, deceit deep within.

The hand that is offered is often a snare,

A phantom of friendship that vanishes into thin air.

Believe in the compass you carry inside,

Let only your fierce, lonely vision be a guide.

Be the self that refuses all tempering strain,

Impervious to sun, impermeable to rain.

They will try to disarm you with laughter and ease,

With whispers of reason designed to appease.

They bid you to follow, to flow with the tide,

To lay down your armor and peacefully ride.

Go with the current, they pleasantly urge—

But know that the path is a precipitous surge.

It is only a trap, dressed in velvet and grace,

Designed to confine you to mediocrity’s place.

Be strong as the oak rooted deep in the stone,

And claim independence, standing alone.

You do not need a sanction, you do not need praise,

To walk the wide freedom of resolute days.

Shed the weight of their judgment, the fear of their frown,

Be free, stand alone, and refuse to bow down.