Plato's Allegory Of The Cave Part 2 Poem by Daya Nandan

Now one of the prisoners is freed, being forced to turn and see the fire,
A chance to see the true forms of the shadows that he would once admire,
The light would hurt his eyes and make it hard for him to see the objects,
He is told that the reality he knew all those years was part of the fire's effects,

What he knew before was unreal but the objects he is now struggling to see are,
He would not believe it, the freed prisoner would run back to illusion's old scar,
Back to the cave to what he is accustomed to the illusion formed by the shadows,
But after awhile he realizes that his shield of ignorence is broken by reality's arrows,

He steps back out and slowly, his eyes adjust to the sun's glorious light,
He learns that new reality and knowledge is within his plain sight,
The prisoner now sees how 'pitiable' his former colleagues in the cave really are
After learning of the reality of the world, after seeing the moon and each star.

If he returned to the cave and rejoined them the prisoners would see him as deranged,
For his eyes would have to readjust to the to the poor brightness that has changed,
And they wouldn't believe his stories for they make their reality seem disrupted,
Not really knowing what reality is they would say of him that he returned corrupted,

They would believe the outside world had turned their friend mentally ill,
They would fear it would damage their eyes and choose to stay here still,
For they would be holding on to their false reality, trying to keep it untouched,
In fear of this new reality they keep their beliefs well protected and clutched,

And when the freed prisoner offers to rescue them, they refuse,
For they are in deep fear of this new reality they can choose,
They even threaten to kill their fellow friend if he tries to set them free,
For they are already accustomed to their illusion and chose to be left be,