BURN (Wattys2015?)

think

i inhale the swarms of people

telling me what i should think

they crawl up my nose and into my lungs

like snakes they wriggle and writhe

the media tells me what's "politically correct"

and if you disagree--well that's hate

they shove their agendas down my throat

choking me, and as i asphyxiate

i wonder who pulls the strings 

and tells them to tell the public what to think

the government is the air i breathe

it's particles dance in the light

like fine dust it's everywhere

i can't get it out of my sight

(it wants to control my life)

if i think 

therefore i am

(but if i can't speak up for myself

than i'm nothing, 

therefore i am not)

but who puts these thoughts in my head?

"morals" don't matter, "right and wrong" is blurred

you tell me to trust you, you know what's best

but all i have is your word

we're all puppets, pawns, and hostages

but we gladly take our medication

swallow our dignity and pride

we go along with the rest of the nation

we're sheep, we want a shepherd

we won't care if they lead us off a cliff

because if everyone else jumps

we'll jump, too

it's choking me, this smog of propaganda

i can't form my own opinions without being attacked

so consider this a memoranda

to never believe what they say

they're selling you the emperor's new clothes

and you don't care what price you'll pay

every time you breathe, every time you blink

there's someone else whispering in your ear

telling you how to think