The Key Poem by Zach Bielak

For what do I owe this system?
All it ever did was hold me back,
the standards that I was bound with never relaxed.
They bogged me down in this murky life,
and I was expected to find joy in all that strife.

So I broke through the surface, felt fresh air in my lungs.
To have original thoughts, to me that's whats fun.
To be myself day in and day out, to never have question or doubt,
about who I am, and if these goals have meaning for me.
Or if they've just been programmed in for me to achieve.

Society is man's greatest achievement or so we are told.
But only those who are broken need this machine to feel whole.
Maybe at one time this statement was true, but long ago things came unglued.
Now it just exploits the weaknesses of those it tames,
always looking to further its claims.
First the body, then the spirit, and finally the mind,
its all just a matter of time.

Creativity is something to be shunned,
while mimicry is what you've been taught all along.
New ideas may appear to be sought,
but if people challenge the system it all falls apart.
Anything truly revolutionary is swept under the rug,
so look back and assess all that you've done.

It only highlights your incompetence, never your might,
for if it did you would see that I'm right.
The structure is flawed, like an old rickety bridge.
The boards are rotten and the ropes are frayed.
How can you justify to cross this way?
Shouldn't you find another path?
One that potentially takes you off the map?
After all it is your life, don't you think you know whats right?

The system is broken, its time to change.
Think for yourself, unlock your cage.

What do I owe this system?
The reply comes as 'The truth and nothing else.'