Welcome!

When my son was born,
I knelt and whispered,
Son, I am happy you arrived.
I wish you never came.

You were brighter as a star in the night sky,
watching weak earth dwellers from above.
Your promise shone clearer there,
than it ever will on this soil.

They will tell you
you can be anything.
Do not trust it.
It is a tired line.

This place has written your part
in ink that never fades.
If you step outside the script,
they will name you a deviant.

I love you,
and I fear the price of deviation.
They mock celibacy.
They praise virility.
They want you to seed the town
and boast of your conquests.

Steal a little
and they cage you.
Steal a fortune
and they kneel before you
with titles and praise.

Do not teach.
Teachers wait for rewards in heaven
if heaven even remembers them.

Seek power.
Politicians plunder
and holy men defend them.
Their victims bow in gratitude
and crown them.

Keep the people hungry.
Keep them hopeless.
Their devotion will deepen.
Their voices will bless you
as you feast.

While you walk this earth,
take your share and breathe easy.

You are loved.