I was sure
we watched the world
change
on a hill
in late summer, 1995.
We took the sky
for granted back then,
thought it would always
be easy
to see our place in the Universe.
Did we lose track,
or were the lines laid
before us
like networks of tripwires?
Did we fail
some critical test,
or did every page
turn us to disaster?
We were told
that we would rule the world
by the same folks
that now tell us to obey.
We never viewed our teachers,
or governments
as adversaries,
until somewhere along the way
we stopped questioning.
Just wanting to be “safe.”
I’m not even sure
what that means,
because we never used to feel
so threatened.
We were free
as beings under the stars
could be.
Like that night,
we thought
we watched the whole world change.
I think we knew
that it wasn’t for the better,
but we ignored it.
We didn’t know anything.
Is it our fault
that we fell for the gimmick?
Choose your own adventure,
if you will?
We thought we were
intrepid,
turns out we
were just falling for the shill.
I guess it is our fault.
I guess we lost the plot.
From destiny
to despots.
DJR – 2022
