My hands bound in front of me in a makeshift plea for mercy

As I finally come to see the irony of you walking walking freely

In delusion of wrong versus right

Turning a blind eye to the mirror on the other side

Keep them from us. Keep us from them

The curse of empathy and the want for absolution

Never spoken, recited in silence

Hidden away

Like stained glass mounted on the wall

Distinct and contrasting fractured pieces

Pushed together and held by the lines

A moment of clarity from this haze

As fragile as it is transparent

It’s here, now, clear as day

I see what you wanted but ashamed to say

A target, a leader, to blame and to praise

To pin your beliefs and antitheses

Will it ever be enough?

It would never be enough

Can you fix the cracks of a broken system?

The cries of the innocent were never meant for me

But a shoulder to carry the mantle of whatever they want you to be

With no regard for what sorry soul they tear apart

Turning the best of intentions to the worst of consequences

I emerge

I'm released from the name that you've given me

Your nightmares, your daydreams, and mediocrities

I'm reborn and stretch my wings

I am the canvas to paint your ethics

The doll you split to pieces

The songs of good and evil

The sword and the shield

The day and the night

The dark and the light

Every predictable rhymes that hides the truth:

They're but inching steps in the delicate dance of grey

I can see it in the distance

A place to rest these weary eyes

A familiar sound takes shape

I take my seat on this throne with my cup raised high

Filled to the brim with potassium chloride

To the voices that ring outside these walls

I can promise you

Things have changed

I can promise you

That tomorrow won’t be another day