Say A Prayer For The Pretender

I looked longingly past the island, the exile, and I wondered. I thought the moat that surrounded me was there for my own good, to keep the world at bay. But then I realized it was there only to keep me imprisoned to what I done.

For years, I dreamed of freedom, counting the days. I don’t remember when, but at some point I gave up. It could have been after I was told for the thousandth time that it couldn’t be done, or when the slide show of my terrible past was shown on the big screen. Maybe, I just got lazy.

I quit pacing the cage, figuring the fight wasn’t worth the effort. The keys to freedom dangled far out of my reach. So I made the most of my exile, surrounding myself with entertainment, and friends and adventure. I became quite satisfied with the life I had built. I was convinced that I was safe, even comfortable.

“Say a prayer for The Pretender, who started out so young and strong, only to surrender” – Jackson Browne, “The Pretender”

I wasn’t alone. There were plenty of men and women, all hollow like me. We’d all given up our passion, exchanging it for passivity and an ordered world. “Dreams are for fools, for we live reality.” We no longer felt, no longer loved, numbed to the cold bars of a world that wants to make us forget that once we were free.

The path was so well trod, until one by one, we all gave up.

“Sometimes you feel like you live too long
Days drip slowly on the page
You catch yourself
Pacing the cage

Sometimes the best map will not guide you
You can’t see what’s round the bend
Sometimes the road leads through dark places
Sometimes the darkness is your friend

Sooner or later you’ll wind up
Pacing the cage” **

But then I found a way out.

I’m reveling in the restoration of my dreams, ignited by the light shining on the path. A Soul once crushed is now renewed. The Lifeless spirit finds breath.

“Behold, all things are new”

** Bruce Cockburn, Pacing the Cage

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