"Don't Follow the Crowd" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
Don't Follow the Crowd
The path is wide where the many stride,
A comfort found in the push and glide.
A current strong, a magnetic pull,
To merge the self and become the full,
Unthinking mass, the homogenous flow,
Where questions wither and doubts can't grow.
They march in time to a beaten drum,
A rhythm stale from where it has come.
Their eyes are fixed on the back of the next,
Their fear of solitude easily vexed,
By the murmur low, the communal breath,
That promises ease, though leading to death—
The death of the mind, the spirit's slow fade,
The masterpiece lost, the choice unmade.
The shepherds of consensus call out loud,
From painted stages and within the shroud
Of screens that glow with a borrowed light,
They feed the hunger to be always right.
They preach the fashion, the temporary truth,
And promise solace to the fragile youth,
Who crave acceptance more than inner peace,
And trade their freedom for a brief release.
The voices blend in a drone of assent,
No challenge hurled, no energy spent
On seeking roots beyond the surface deep,
While genuine knowledge lies fast asleep.
And so they walk, a river of grey,
Believing the safety of a well-worn way.
But look! See there, a break in the line,
A soul that refuses to merely align.
A pause is taken, a head is turned,
A sudden wisdom unexpectedly learned:
That the easiest road is rarely the best,
And authentic life must stand the test
Of loneliness, of judgment, of scorn,
The sharpest trials on the day you're born
To your truest self, to your singular view,
To the landscape painted in shades uniquely you.
The crowd will point, their laughter will sting,
For difference is a disconcerting thing.
They fear the light that makes their shadows known,
And wish to keep you bound upon their stone.
So turn your back on the comfortable hum,
And ask yourself, "Why have I come?
What is my purpose? What song must I sing?
What intricate beauty am I meant to bring?"
The answer lies where the trail is faint,
Beyond the whispers of the worldly plaint.
It's in the quiet, the forest untrod,
The space between your spirit and God.
The courage needed is not of the fist,
But the strength to endure that you will be missed
From the roll call of those who conform and comply,
And the bravery to meet your own eye.
For when you follow the multitude's track,
You leave no print, you can never look back
And see the story that your life could tell,
A unique note struck within the bell.
Be the architect of your own sunrise,
Don't borrow the light from indifferent skies.
Let your compass spin to its own north star,
And travel further than the others are.
Choose the steep climb, though it tires the bone,
For the view from the summit is always your own.
And though the path is thorny, wild, and thin,
It leads to the kingdom that resides within,
Where the true self waits, unbound and free.
Don't follow the crowd. Let the crowd follow thee.
©A. Derek Catalano/Gemini
