To Ruin Such a Work of Art

IV.
against whom do you jest?
against whom do you open wide your mouth?
what do you say within yourself?
are they right in your own eyes?
no one sees?
does you guilt keep you up at night?
how do you justify yourself?
do you believe in your own lies?

you sought wealth
but it was never enough
will silver keep you warm at night?
will gold dry your tears?
what good’s a feast eaten alone?
for whom do you labor and deprive yourself of pleasure?
it won’t deliver you when you cry out
but the wind will carry it away

you sought power
at whose expense?
do you see the faces of those you’ve used
those stepped on to reach your throne?
what became of the promises you made?
the lies spoken to earn their trust?
did you ever really care at all?
or where they just pawns in your game?

the self anointed
you say you know best
we must be saved from our simple ways
we do not know what’s best for us
could you be wrong?
do superior intentions override fact?
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
and the abuses of today were the reforms of the past