The Armchair Politician

It’s been a long time since I’ve written poetry, but I had some recent inspiration. I don’t think it’s finishedyet –I’m unhappy with some of the pacing, and I’d like to make it longer. The current incarnation is pasted below.

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I stand silent and alone with open heart
At a crossroads from which I must soon depart.
Already weary and bruised
One of two directions I’ll choose
Though neither destination is clearly marked.

To follow one path is to abandon all hope.
Should this be my choice, I’ve no volition but cope
Even as my conscience burns
Over the option I’ve spurned
While I descend t’ward the bottom of its vicious slope.

At the base of that valley lies a paradise, I’ve heard:
A sea of fish, with no heartache long uncured.
But most of these accounts
My experiences readily discount–
I’ve been there before; such praise isn’t earned.

On the other road rises a staggering peak;
To consider the ascent, I mustn’t be meek
And during the climb
Keep close in mind
That what waits at the top mightn’t be what I seek.

My soul hopes for love while my body seeks lust,
But reason disagrees, and it’s this discrepancy that I must
Resolve in my mind
As I suspect what I’ll find
Is that the peak’s long deserted, my efforts for nothing but dust.