One question

One question to all of you.

If you had the power,

To make anyone cower;

To make anyone cry

To make anyone beg

To make anyone die.

Would you use it?

Would you make people cower?

Would you make anyone cry?

Would you make them beg?

Or would you just want to die?

What is your answer?

Is it yes? are you that cruel?

Or is it no? are you a dumb fool?

Please, think about it for a while

Pretend this is you final death trial.

Prepear your answer to judge

Be true, and do not budge.

Did you actually pick no?

Ignoring the power flow?

Do not lie to yourself now,

I doubt that greed would allow.

Did you actually pick yes?

Accepting the golden chest?

While leaving everyone in sand

Not a drop of pity for this land?

In reality, the choice is an illusion

There is really no single solution.

Often we pick yes,often we pick no.

no answer can come form a single throw.

It depends on how near you come,

to cross the line between the two.

And if you do, how far will you go?

And will you run fast, or walk slow?

Author's Note

This poem is about the balance of good or evil. First, the poet asks the reader whether he is good or evil. If given the change of ultimate power, would he accept it and hurt others? or would he deny it? Then, the poem asks the reader to really think about his answer before continue reading. Then, the poem downright dismisses both answers as wrong, "Not a drop of pity for this land?" and "I doubt that greed would allow" show this. The poem then explains that both of the answers are indeed correct together while both are wrong by themselves, as we often are evil, and we are also often are good. The real question is "depends on how near you come to cross the line between the two" meaning depends on how close are you to the borderline of good and evil? And if you crossed that line, how far will you go and how fast?

Reviews

[Angie Diane♥&hea..]

I really think you did a nice job on this poem. I liked how you had the balance between good and evil within it. I don't like how evil always tries to overrule the good. I don't like that one bit. I would never choose evil. I wouldn't want to put anyone to death. I would kill myself before I let that happen...thanks for sharing. :)

[WillHBIII]

I like how you polarize the reader at the in the first half but by the end "reality" kicks in and you show that things are just not so black and white as they might at first seem

[Jeff Bresee]

Nice work. It really makes you think, even if you don't want to.

[Coyote Poetry]

Sometime the line between good and bad is very thin. I believe we need to be kind and if nothing good to say. Say nothing. I believe in karma. I learn the hard way. The bad will come in ten-fold for playing a b*****d. A very good poem. You question the questions that don't have no answers till we walk the final road.
Coyote

[Jersey]

As always I love your work. The ablity you have to force someone to think about anything more than they normally would is amazing to me. I have read so many of your pieces and everyone of them causes this first intial reaction that is second guessed or re-thought as the poem pushes forward into the lines. Your explantions, which I have the tendence to read after I start my review really bring the piece together and give it an added beauty for everything that the reader may have missed before hand.

[...]

. fantastically written, ryan ... i'd say one of your best ... (but of course you know that if i had any powers, i'd make everyone read and write and record and listen to more poetry - i have a totally one track mind) ...

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

thoughtful and pondering~
my initial knee jerk response was
"personally I'd rather be a dumb fool than a malicious inhumane thing"
but then reading deeper the reflective surface becomes more pronounced and there is pause and the mind engaged in actual perusal of itself and its motivations regarding these two elements~ that's how good this poem is~ it unwinds a mediatative thread to pursue~

[Ry]

It depends on how near you come,
to cross the line between the two.
And if you do, how far will you go?
And will you run fast, or walk slow?

This is by far one of the best poems I have ever read.
I love the things that you think about. =)
Powerful.