I followed every single step
Listed in didactic manuals.
I sat up straight.
I prayed to God
I dressed my shutters in matching paint.
I pressed my nose to the grindstone.
I did everything I was told.
I rubbed elbows with the elite
But I still feel so empty.

His parents divorced over
Mother's parturient belly,
Who, in keeping with martyrdom
Died upon boy's delivery
His father had always blamed him
For his early departure.
He was born alone
He lived alone.
He'll rot alone.
And die alone.

I followed every single step
Listed in didactic manuals.
I sat up straight.
I prayed to God
I dressed my shutters in matching paint.
I pressed my nose to the grindstone.
I did everything I was told.
I rubbed elbows with the elite
But I still feel so empty.

He sits alone and sobs
Immersed in his trappings of luxury.
He's never been a big drinker
But tonight his liver would not know it.
The burdens have become a crushing load.
The wrenching twist will soon cause a shift.
That pressure, fleeting and pounding.
I feel the trigger give.