“Once upon a time…”
What a horrible way to start.
Living with one eye stuck backwards,
nailed to the past.
Fairy tales were cautionary,
mean to teach us all
lessons writ with bloody fingers,
paid for with souls,
and bodies laying
where they fall.
No cute characters.
No bright sunshine.
The valiant knight
was truly flawed.
The beautiful princess,
was a sacrifice
for a hungry god.
Yet we write our pasts to call
upon the specters of our better nature,
cover up our base response,
our selfish and brutal failures.
Instead of taking in
the lesson taught,
gaining wisdom,
learning the real cost
of time and experience
and turning a profit.
We defy our own advice
and repeat our mistakes,
lean upon our egos,
put some stock in our names.
We court demons and destruction,
oppose truth,
abandon Faith,
and when the fruits of our works
are revealed
it’s already too late.
There are no
“… happily ever after.”
There are no
houses on the hill.
There are brief moments
of joy
inside the story,
but we only have
one plot line to fulfill.
The moral of the story,
if we learn it well,
can save us from the dragon,
and keep us out of Hell.
So step out of the past tense,
into a future that awaits
with the knowledge gained
from your mistakes.
HG – 2021
