To Preserve Delusions Kept Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

I am familiar with them changing the rules,
Each time I near the goal line.
And each time I near the goal line,
They are the ones finding themselves...
Closer to the edge.

I thought I had been the only one,
To observe this mirage.
But apparently I'm not.
I am one of many participants,
Disbelieving but going along with it.

And I witness this with others,
Knowing from the very beginning...
Of a foolishness it is to want to be selective.
And when they stand at the edge,
Prepared to jump from it...
I wonder if defiance, evil and stubbornness,
To witness their own foolishness then...
Will be on their minds?
To define and validate for others,
What sickness is when pushed to its own limits.

Or...
Will they then be convinced,
One who feels confident...
Doesn't have to prove that to anyone,
If it is felt and known within a secured mind.
With a coming to grips,
The field played upon was created for everyone,
To enjoy for what it is and to share it.

But...
Some want to be seen as champions.
Even if that means...
Leaping to their deaths to preserve delusions kept.