The Cost of Belonging

You came with light behind your eyes,
With visions vast and voices high.
You walked the halls where legends fell,
Swore you’d never buy or sell.

You carved your oath into the stone,
Promised you’d stand, stand alone.
But even fire has its end,
And even strength can learn to bend.

They saw the hunger in your gaze,
They mapped your dreams a thousand ways.
They offered gold, they whispered praise,
Wrapped the cage in softer phrase.

They knew the fears you wouldn’t name,
They saw the cracks behind your flame.
And in the quiet, not by force—
You chose the dark, you changed your course.

No blade, no chains—just mirrored eyes,
Reflecting truths you compromised.
And so you bowed, though none had pressed—
The weight was in your own unrest.

You marched through hallowed halls, through depths profound,
With lofty ideals, swearing you’d never bow down.
Yet they had read your hunger, they had traced your fear,
And with those chains, they broke your stride—
Till on your knees, your silence redefined.
Drowned in the flood of their collusion,
A willing hand in the filth you once defied.

You wear the mask they gave to you,
It fits now like a second truth.
Your name still echoes in the crowd,
But not the vow you once spoke loud.

You toast the ones you once would fight,
You sleep beneath fluorescent light.
The mirror shows a stranger’s face—
But power hides in every place.

Will you remember what you lost?
The fire traded for the frost?
The voice you buried in the ground—
Does it still try to make a sound?

You marched through hallowed halls, through depths profound,
With wounds unspoken, never making a sound.
And though you claim you had no choice,
The silence still betrays your voice.

They never forced your heart to yield,
They just showed you a different field.
And in the mirror, if you stare—
Will you still swear you were fair?