"Here Lies..."

by Daniel Drinkard

      We came with high hopes and auspicious dreams to be
shattered in desperation in the faces of those who pursued them.
We spoke too soon. We hid in our insecurities, to hide our 
insecurities. Out of insecurity, we killed, destroyed, and ruined
the lives of those we feared. (would we do it again?) Just keep 
telling yourself it's okay. Sooner or later the options run out,
the excuses wear through. With your head in your hands, you 
wonder how it ever could have happened. You're just a victim. You
didn't even see it coming. They took you over slowly. In ads, on 
TV. With every new "Technological Breakthrough" you subscribed to
came a new way they could control you. "It's The Bargain Of A 
Lifetime." Excersize passive self-control based on a system of 
values and double standards not your own. You conform to their 
"P.C." ideals and manipulative gender roles. A process lasting 
from cradle to grave. Surrender yourself to those who know what's
good for you better than you do. The "American Dream" burning in 
your surrendered blood. Injected by the flag you thought you 
stood for. Just keep telling yourself it's okay. It's not okay.
"Give me liberty or Give me death!" You get death. Rest in peace.
You never found it in life.

c. 1997