[ The Path ]

Heart of Babel

Don’t hesitate to write

The moment you feel inspired

Because it doesn’t take much

To kindle these fires

Passions are fleeting

Lost in a dream

And by the time that you wake up

They are never the same

 

So step to it, lively

Let the song spring from your heart

And if the audience applauds

It’s a bonus to impart

But if they mock and ridicule

Don’t you waiver from delight

For if the heart can rejoice

There’s no need to cave into spite

 

I’ve felt that very sting before

Feeling ashamed of something joyful

To embarrassed to stand my ground

And to myself, no longer loyal

And then what’s the point

If self cannot be fulfilled

Identity without purpose

Holds nothing which to build

 

And all because we yield

To the judgements of the lifeless

And all because we think

That sacrifice is righteous

But living self-condemned

Is the antithesis of envy

Who taught us that such a life

Was anything but deadly

 

It’s time to open these coffins

In a hope of resurrection

That we may break from the binds

Of a mindset’s infection

That we may heal from the pain

We sustained in suppression

That we may follow our dreams

Without any questions

 

Because when I was young

My imagination ran wild

Not a height I couldn’t reach

Set my sights beyond child

And I clung to my dreams

As they breathed in existence

And when death tried to follow

It was met with resistance

 

Yet somewhere along the line

I betrayed who I am

And I sacrificed dreams

To the systems of man

And ever since that day

I’ve been cursed to lament

And it’s corrupted me so

That I feel ashamed to repent

 

So now there’s two gods

That dwell in my mind

One that yet dreams

While the other lies blind

And I’m left to decide

Where I’ll take my steps

The path to my dreams

Or the path to my death

 

© HeartOfBabel

  • Author: Garathe Den (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: August 8th, 2021 00:13
  • Comment from author about the poem: It is no uncommon thing, that everyone privileged long enough to live, will eventually make some sort of mistake. Most often, they are not detrimental, but sometimes they are, and sometimes mistakes have lasting effects. But no matter what happens in life, there is always a choice with each next step.
  • Category: Reflection
  • Views: 17
  • User favorite of this poem: HannahElisabeth.
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Comments1

  • HannahElisabeth

    "But living self-condemned
    Is the antithesis of envy
    Who taught us that such a life
    Was anything but deadly"

    This poem. Wow. All I can say is;

    To dance with death is madness
    Just to feel alive
    A hefty price to pay
    For someone trying to survive"

    ...A piece of a poem I'm currently working on. Seemed fitting here.

    I know too well the feeling of betraying who I am. You captured that sentiment beautifully here.

    • Heart of Babel

      I really enjoyed the bit that you are working on, it definitely resonates! Thank you so much for giving me that sneak peak, I feel so honored!

      Regarding betrayal of oneself, so far it always seems like an act of vanity (excluding times that would have solely been acts of selfishness, which is ultimately a betrayal to oneself anyway). Almost like the deeper elements that make up an individual, in a way, have an encoded universal law that it subconsciously knows to follow… and is always proven right. Sort of weird, and yet fascinating as well, even if it is just an imagined idea.

      But, as with all the unpredictabilities of what is life, we hopefully learn and grow from the experiences, rather then relive them. Because otherwise life is merely a temporary purgatory, and I’m not really into all of that.

      • HannahElisabeth

        I'm glad you like it! I'm hoping to wrap it up soon and post it eventually. It was from a long lost notebook I conveniently found at just the right time.

        There's actually a term for that sort of betrayal and self-sabotage; the shadow self. Which I think is a really cool name for something that came from science. If we don't learn to look to face ourselves in the mirror, truly, and confront the uglier parts, we can't possibly end the cycle. The universe has a funny way of repeating lessons until we face them and grow from them. It truly is purgatory.

        And “Hell is empty and all the devils are here”...

      • 4 more comments



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